You Never Said That This Would Be Easy
by Lady-Plague-6661
Summary: Andrella is best friends with George and Fred Weasley, and her biggest concern is getting George to notice her as more than just a friend. But what happens when she finds out her parents have been lying to her about her true identity?
1. The First One

DISCLAIMER:::I don't own any Characters you recognize. They belong to J.K. Rowling. I own Andrella and any other original characters, and the plot. Don't jock my stuff.

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"Miss Wendling, do you care to explain why Professor Flitwick sent you here?" the headmaster's inquiring voice broke my concentration. I was counting the number of books on the shelves in front of me, making sure I didn't met Dumbledore's stare but made it look like I was still paying attention.

"Well, you see sir," I began, working very hard to conceal a fit of giggles, sure that it would only get me in worse trouble. "In Charms Class we were practicing the cheering charm, and I have to admit I got it down pretty easily. So when we were switching classes I saw Draco Malfoy looking quite down.. I thought it wasn't far that he was in a sour mood, so I decided to put my own charm on him, to make him smile, of course. Well, it made me smile, he didn't seem to like it though. Can't imagine why, really,"

"It might have something to do with the fact your spell made him violently vomit butterflies and daisies, but that's just my guess," Dumbledore grinned at me, raising his eyebrows with all seriousness. I just smiled back guiltily. There was no getting out of this one, but it was so worth it.

"Very well then, Miss Wendling. Even though your intentions were strictly _friendly_, I must still give you a week's detention with Mr. Filch," Dumbledore announced, giving me a slight wink. I smiled graciously, a stunt like that should have at least landed me a month polishing trophies with Filch. Dumbledore always went easy on me though, for reasons unknown to me, not that I was arguing.

"I trust you can manage getting back to class without incident?" he asked, once again raising one of his bushy grey eyebrows.

"Yes, sir," I replied, hopping out of the seat and started toward the dungeons where my third period potions class was being held. I didn't mind the subject at all, in fact I was quite good at potions, it was the teacher who was most unpleasant, Professor Snape. Snape had a personal vendetta against anyone who wasn't a Slytherin. , it was quite obvious in the way he played favorites with the his own house. However, I was anxious to tell my two best friends--Fred and George Weasley--how easily I got off.

You might be a bit confused right now, and I do believe an explanation is in order. My name is Andrella Raynee Wendling, I'm sixteen years old and in my sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. My mother and father, are both muggles--non-magical beings--so when I received a letter by an owl on the date of my eleventh birthday, they were both very surprised to find out that their only daughter was a witch. I was shocked, to say the least, though not as badly as I should be.

You see, the thing is, I could always make unexplainable things happen. Like the time when I was five and was just starting kindergarten, I wanted to play with the boys in the mud instead of barbies with the other girls--I guess I was a bit of a tom boy--but they wouldn't let me play with them. I got incredibly angry to say the least, when they said that I was probably too afraid of getting dirty. I was wishing that a ton of mud fell on them, and next thing I know, it happened. Other weird things like that have happened without explanation through out my childhood. I never told any of this to my parents, or anyone else for that matter, because in all honestly I had no intention of being sent to the loony bin.

After saying goodbye to my parents, stuffing my trunk in the first available place on the train my first year, I began my search for an empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express. I found a reasonably empty compartment, the only occupants being two red-headed boys head bent together as if they were whispering something they didn't want to chance being over heard. I knocked on the door and asked to sit there, two identical smiling faces told me I was welcome to sit wherever I wanted.

During the train ride, I bonded with the twins over a game of Exploding Snap. We found out just exactly how alike we are and decided that we could raise quite a bit of mayhem to Hogwarts if we stuck together. When we were all sorted into Gryffindor we decided it was destiny for us to be best friends and there was no point in fighting that. Five years later and we've become inseparable. We did everything together. We pranked first years, played Quidditch together, went on missions into the kitchens for late night snacks, discovered secret passageways out of the castle, I even helped them work on some of their products for there joke shop in-the-making, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

As I walked through the dungeons as slowly as possible, I wasn't paying very much attention to anything. So when I turned the corner, still not looking where I was going, I wasn't half surprised that my foot caught on something. What did surprise me, however, was that the thing I had tripped on was now on the floor as well, and was breathing. Underneath me, no longer vomiting butterflies, was Draco Malfoy looking quite furious.

I made a face of disgust before hurriedly getting off of him, never wanting to be that close to him again. Malfoy repulsed me, to say the very least. He was a vile person, with a horrible family, almost all of them no good death eaters. If I hated one person in this school more than Snape, it would be Malfoy.

"You're making this too easy for me, Wendling," Draco sneered once he finally got himself up. He wasn't that much taller than me, only about an inch and a half, so his "scary-glare" wasn't having much effect on me. I wasn't afraid of Draco Malfoy, even if he did have his wand held to my throat.

"Put that away Draco," I snapped, my own glare in place. It was no matter really, I could cure him to china with a simple incantation, wand or not, I just did not like his cocky attitude.

"I don't think I will, _Andrella_. You see this is payback. You think you can cast spells on me you filthy little mud-blood," He didn't have time to finish the rest though, because I had gotten fed up and blasted him off of me. He caught his balance before he fell straight on his ass, but it gave me enough time to draw my own wand.

"I might be a "filthy little mud-blood" like you say I am Draco, but you aren't half the wizard I was in my fourth year. Face it, I can beat you with or without a wand. I'm the greater witch and it doesn't matter who my parents are. You wouldn't dare take me on, would you Draco?" I taunted him, stepping forward. He knew I was right, he couldn't take me in his dizziest daydream.

I hadn't noticed that by the time my speech was over, we had an audience. The entire potions class was now crowded around us, waiting to see what would happen. I noticed two heads of vibrant red hair out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't dare turn around to see the amused smirks on their faces. They hated Malfoy just as much as I did, they even helped me with decide which curse I'd give Malfoy this morning.

"Stupefy" Draco yelled at the same time I muttered a quick "Protego". I was about to hit him with a stunning spell myself, when Professor Snape stepped in.

"Lower your wands," He demanded, emerging from his classroom, Draco's shouting no doubt attracting him.

Grudgingly, I placed my wand back into the garter under my skirt. I felt slightly better when I saw that Draco had put away his as well, though not entirely. I was a little disappointed that I couldn't teach Draco a lesson in respect, something he definitely needs.

"Malfoy, Wendling, detention my classroom after dinner," Snape barked, staring at us both coldly, the fact that Draco had detention too made things a bit better though. "If you do not all wish to join them, I suggest you all run along to lunch,"

Before I had a chance to roll my eyes, both of my arms were linked with another. One either side of me, stood a beaming red-head. "'Ello there," I greeted them as we began the short walk back to the Great Hall.

"Drella, Drella, Drella. Whatever are we going to do with you?" George shook his head, with mock disappointment, "we leave you alone for ten minutes and you go cursing fourth years,"

"Oh, shut it. You know that you would have done it too if you had the chance," I rolled my eyes, pushing him away lightly. Fred laughed at his brother who stumbled slightly, and ruffled my hair.

"Yeah, but George does have a point, Andi. You always seem to be getting in trouble. Maybe we've been a bad influence on you, like your mother so fervently expresses in her letters," Fred stated, sitting down at our usual spot at the Gryffindor table. I followed suit and was now comfortably seated between Fred and George, sipping some pumpkin juice that magically refilled whenever it was running low.

"Please, I would have been getting in trouble without your help. It just raised a level since I've met you two," I nodded in agreement. I couldn't disagree completely, a lot of the times I did some of the things I did because the twins were egging me on. Not that I minded, I loved all the ridiculous antics we came up with.

"So how long are you in detention for, Drella?" George asked, in between stuffing pieces of grilled cheese in my mouth. I felt my heart race at the sound of my name. The only person who ever called me Drella or Drells was George, everyone else just called me Andi. The saddest part wasn't even that hearing George simply speak my name made my heart flutter, it was even though he had crumbs falling out of his mouth, he was still incredibly cute to me. Almost everything he did made me smile just a bit wider.

Oh, I might have failed to mention that I've liked George since the summer before our fifth year. I spent two weeks at the burrow that summer before school. Sometime between playing Quidditch in the apple orchard, pranking their little brother Ron--who had a slight crush on me--making fun of their older brother Percy, swimming in their lake, drinking firewhiskey and dancing around in our underwear, I developed feelings for George. I couldn't tell you what made me fall for him and not his twin brother, I just know that I don't get those annoying butterflies in my stomach when I look at Fred.

"Only a week," I grinned triumphantly. They both found it amazing how we all weren't expelled by now with all the stuff we pulled, but they thought it even more incredible that I hardly ever got in as much trouble as I should.

"How do you do it, Andi ?" Fred questioned, not seeming all-too surprised that I once again got off way easier than I should have.

"It's pretty simple, actually. No one can resist my charm and good-looks," I joked, raising my eyebrow, daring him to disagree.

"Can't argue with that," George nodded. Although I knew it was just a joke, his words made my heart beat a little faster and a slight blush to creep onto my face.

"Andi, Fred, George," greeted a cheery female voice from behind us. I turned around with a large smile on my face, to see one of my very best friends. Renae Silver was one of my very few female friends, aside from the other members of the Quidditch team. We met our second year when she transferred from an academy in America. Some fourth year was making fun of her because of her accent and I hexed her. Ever since then we've formed a bond, whenever I wasn't with the twins--which was a rare occasion--I was with Renae. She was the only person I actually admitted liking George, too, though I guess Hermione kinda figured it out on her own. I was friends with Hermione, Harry, and Ron as well, though not as close as the twins and Renae.

"Hey," I smiled as she sat down next to Fred. I tried to hook them up last year, but it didn't work out very well. She told me she liked someone else, though I was never able to guess who. Whenever I brought it up, she ignored the subject like the plague.

"Look Drells, there's your lover," George snorted as his younger brother entered the Great Hall with Harry and Hermione. Even though both tormented Ron about his obvious crush on me, George always seemed to taunt him more.

"Shut up," I sighed, wishing that he'd just let it go. "Hey Ron!" I grinned, waving him over. Just because I wanted George to stop tormenting his brother, didn't mean I had to stop having a bit of fun. I know it was wrong to keep leading Ron on like I did, but it honestly felt nice to know that _someone _actually liked me. Also, it was pretty cute how his skin flushed as he shyly waved back at me.

"You're cruel, Andi," Renae mumbled, in my ear before I got up and hugged Ron. I hugged Hermione and Harry too, so he wouldn't think too much of it. I was mean, but I wasn't _that _mean. I noticed that George's mouth formed into a hard line as I embraced his brother but thought nothing of it, he was probably annoyed that I kept on playing games with his little brother--though I have to admit, Ron seems to thoroughly enjoy it all.

"I know I am, but you love me anyway," I shot back after the three left to sit with their fellow fourth years.

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"Why won't you tell me who it is, Renae! I told you who I liked," I whined, plopping down on my bed. I was exhausted from my double detentions, first I had to scrub the bottoms of filthy cauldrons for Snape and the Trophy cabinet for Filtch, both without magic might I add.

"Because, it isn't fair. I knew you liked George before you told me, it 'd obvious to everyone who knows you well enough. Well , besides him and Fred, of course," Renae added as an after thought, emerging from the bathroom, teeth clean and hair wet.

"Still, we're supposed to be best friends. I mean, it's in the job descriptions, telling each other things like this," I argued, braiding my damp hair so that it would curl correctly in the morning.

"Hmm, I'm under the impression you and George are best friends and I don't see you running off and telling him about how you've been crushing on him since fourth year,"

"That's different. That could ruin our friendship, especially since he doesn't like me like me like that. He doesn't see me as anything other than his best friend," I sighed. It was true, and I had generally accepted that George would never like me the way I liked him, but it wasn't very fun to say out loud.

"For someone as smart as you, Andrella, you can be so thick sometimes," Renae exclaimed before turning off her light, a very clear sign that this conversation was over for the moment. Grudgingly, I turned off my light as well and tried to get some sleep. That night I dreamed of laying flat on my back in an apple orchard, the warm summer breeze blowing around me, making the grass sway around my legs. The wonderful feeling on contentment filling every last inch of my being, almost as warm as the hand that gripped mine lightly. Laying down next to me, so close his side was pressed to mine, was a boy with fire for hair…


	2. The One With the Note

"What is _that_?" Fred asked in awe as I pulled my I-pod from my school bag. I usually didn't bring any muggle devices into school, but I really needed to listen to some music right now, to help me concentrate on my potions essay.

"It's an I-pod," I stated simply, knowing that Fred had never seen anything like it in his life. He was from a pure-blood magical family, and I-pods were made strictly for muggle use.

"What does it _do_?" George questioned, snatching it away from me and holding it close to his face to examine it up close. Considering the fact that the twins were both wizards, I didn't think something as simple as an I-pod would surprise them. For god sakes they can turn other people into tea cups if they bloody well pleased.

"It plays music," I told them, collecting it from George. Honestly, even though I loved them both dearly the way they are, I wish they paid a bit more attention during Muggle Studies. I put the headphones to my ears and turned my I-pod on, I smiled to myself as the distinct voice of Billie Joe Armstrong filled my head.

Grabbing the cord to my headphones, George yanked the ear bud out of my ear and put it to his own. "Oi! Andi, why didn't you ever show us this before?" he seemed to like Green Day because he refused to give me my headphones back until the song changed.

"Didn't think you'd be interested," I shrugged, taking the ear bud George hadn't stolen and placing it in my ear, having to move closer to him so that it didn't fall out again. He didn't seem to notice because he picked up his quill again and picked up on his essay. It was due tomorrow and none of us had even started it, causing tonight to be one of those very rare nights where we took a break and actually did work. Of course, we only did the very minimum amount that would allow us to still pass.

Concentrating on how to make Felix Felicis was near impossible being this close to George. It was unusually warm today, for it being so late in October, and neither of us were wearing a sweater. Whenever he went to dip his quill in ink, his arm grazed mine, sending a pleasant rush of warmth to the left side of my body, unfortunately that included my cheeks. Inhaling sharply, I tried my hardest to write my essay to at least an acceptable standard.

"Something wrong, Andi?" Fred smirked, looking up from his parchment which had twice as much writing on it as mine, that alone said something.

"Nothing's wrong," I mumbled back almost incoherent. My face turning a darker shade of pink, no doubt.

"Really, Drella, you look a bit flushed," George added in agreement, placing his hand on my forehand to check my temperature.

"Guys, I'm fine. Now, can we get back to studying please? I really don't want to retake this class next year," I snapped, returning to my near blank parchment. I saw them both roll their eyes in one of those connected twin moments before they, too, returned to writing.

Ignoring the weak feeling in my stomach, I was able to get three quarters of my essay done before a flying paper bird hit me in the head. I glanced at the note curiously, but opened it regardless, wondering who it could possibly be from. From where I was sitting, all I could see were a couple of Ravenclaw girls gossiping about one thing or another. Sighing, I pulled open the note and read the words written in unfamiliar tidy cursive.

_**I'm watching you, Andrella. I'll be there when your boyfriends aren't, to teach you a lesson or two in respect, mud-blood.**_

The funny feeling that George gave me, that giddy nervousness, that had rooted it's self in my stomach, was now replaced with an empty hollow feeling the words written in the note provided. It wasn't the fact that someone was after me, it was the fact that I didn't know who it was. I had a feeling it might be Malfoy, but I wasn't sure. What if it was another angry Slytherin outraged to what I did to their "Prince" or maybe I had another enemy unknown to me.

"What did the note say?" Fred peeked up from his assignment, only when he noticed my face did the carefree expression wipe off of his. "What did it say, Andi?" he demanded once more, this time more firmly.

I did my best to compose my face as I quickly stuffed the note into the pocket in my vest. "Nothing important," I reassured him, forcing a smile which I'm sure resembled more of a grimace.

"Come on, Drella, just tell us what it says. We'll find out one way or another," George interjected, looking at me sternly. Even though I know I had much more important things to focus on, my heart gave an involuntarily lurch when I caught George's eye.

"It's really not important, it was just…"I couldn't think of anything quick enough to suffice, instead I just sighed. "I don't know who it was from but it was rubbish anyway. Someone just trying to scare me…" I wasn't sure who I was trying to convince, myself or them.

"Someone was trying it scare you?" Fred questioned, furrowing his eyebrow as if he was trying to think of why anyone would want to do that.

"Yeah, but it was noth--"I started but George interrupted me heatedly.

"Andrella Wendling, will you _please_ stop saying it was nothing. You wouldn't have gone so pale or made that face if it was. So would you kindly hand it over?" He ordered, opening his hand in front of me as if waiting for me to drop the note into his palm.

"George, I--"I began to refuse, but George simply rolled his eyes and stuck his hand into my the pocket of my vest to retract the note. I was stunned by his sudden moment that I hadn't reacted and now he was reading the note, when he finished he passed it to his twin.

"_Malfoy_, it had to be him," Fred sneered, handing me the folded piece of parchment.

"I don't think Drella would have gotten so pale if she honestly thought it was Malfoy. She can take him in her sleep," George insisted, shaking his head in concentration.

"Guys, really, it's no big deal," I tried to reason with them, hating whenever I was the center of attention. Though, I didn't particularly mind that my best friends were concerned about me, I still didn't want to talk about it. I wanted to pretend that someone was just messing around with me and that the note wasn't a real threat. I wanted to pretend that there wasn't going to be following me around, stalking the shadows.

"It is though, someone's threatening you, Drella. They managed to send you this without being seen by anyone. They could be dangerous," by then I had stopped listening to Fred because I saw another head of bright red hair come through the library door.

I jumped up, happy to have a excuse to stop ingto Fred and George talk about me like I wasn't there. "Ron, my savior," I sighed, colliding with Ron briefly before pulling away and grinning. I noticed the dull pink shade of his face and his goofy smile, and beamed triumphantly.

"Sorry guys, this has been a very fascinating conversation but I'm going to eat with Ron, see you later," I rushed out quickly, stuffing my books into a small tote bag I used for school, and grabbed Ron's arm before the twins could protest.

"You really do have excellent timing, Ron. Thanks for saving me from your brothers," I breathed, catching my breathe from when I practically sprinted with Ron in tow out of the library.

"Anytime," Ron laughed, stuffing his hands into the pocket's of his pants. "Why did you need rescuing though?"

"Oh, I got some stupid note from someone pulling a prank on me. Your brothers freaked out about it," I shrugged, as we walked into the Great Hall. Instead of going to where I normally sit with Fred and George, I continued on down to the place where Ron sat with Harry and Hermione seeing as neither Fred nor George were here yet.

Sitting down next to Hermione, who smiled at me warmly, I saw the look on Ron's face. "Not you too," I growled at the expression that mirrored his older brothers'.

"Alright, Alright," Ron put his hands up in defeat. "Consider it forgotten" He declared, sitting down next to me and immediately helping himself to lunch.

"That's what I like to hear," I agreed victoriously, taking a sip of pumpkin juice glad that the subject of the tiny note that was now weighing a ton in my pocket was momentarily dropped.

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The day had passed by rather quickly, after lunch I met up with Fred and George who finally got the hint that I really didn't want to talk about the piece of paper that was still in my pocket. Instead, we returned to pranking the second years and discussing the World Quidditch Cup, which had ended in complete disaster what with the dark mark in the air and the uproar of death eaters.

After dinner was over, it was like the aspect of having a possible stalker was completely forgotten and instead it was replaced with the excitement of the Triwizard Tournament. During Dinner before the feast began, Dumbledore announced that our school would be hosting the Triwizard Tournament where three schools competed against each other, a student from each school would be selected to represent the school and compete in three dangerous tasks. Dumbledore also clarified--to the twins absolute disgust--that you have to be over seventeen to enter before he introduced us to the other students we'd be sharing our castle with.

I noticed the sour look Hermione shot Ron when he gushed over the beauty of the Beauxbatons Academy. But even more enjoyuable than that, when Fred and George kept teasing Ron about the mystified expression on his face when the Durmstang students came through and he saw that Viktor Krum was among them. When we were dismissed, George and Fred were still animatedly discussing the different ways they could try to get around the age line Dumbledore drew in order to enter the Tournament. I was talking to Harry about the lack of Quidditch due to the Tournament, and he seemed as bummed as I was. When we got back to the common room, I claimed too tired to stay down and take part in the excitement. It wasn't a lie exactly, I was exceptionally tired, but the main part in my withdrawal from the rest of my house has nothing to do with exhaustion.

Even though I wanted the subject dropped, I was still worried about what the note said. As I took the paper out of my pocket and reread it, I couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't a joke then why would someone send it? If it wasn't Malfoy then who could it possibly be? I didn't have any enemies besides Professor Snape end even though I didn't like him I knew he had more class than to threaten a student through a piece of folded parchment. I stripped of my robes and threw on a ratty old tee shirt and some cotton shorts. Slipping under the covers, my mind was still deep in thought.

Deciding that it was completely useless, that I wasn't going to figure out who sent me the note right now, I figured sleep would be the best solution to my nerves. Turing off the light, I began singing the words to one of my favorite songs softly under my breath, something that always helps me sleep at night.

_"Hear the whispers from the backroom. Screams keep you awake at night, I'm still waiting for your last kiss. Nothing ever seems to pass the time. And I will remember. And I will surrender now. And if all of this is possible, then why can't I see you tonight. If all of this is possible, I want to die in your arms." _

Somewhere in between there, I fell into one of those dreams that seem so real that you actually think you're awake…

_It was very late and I was out when I shouldn't be, wandering the halls alone. I was coming back from the library, a heavy book resting under my arm and my soft footfalls being the only sound I could hear. I shivered slightly as a sudden breeze rustled my blonde hair around my shoulders, and small goosebumps arose on my exposed skin. But the breeze did not only bring a chill to the air but a set of new footsteps._

_Pausing, I peeked behind me to find an empty hallway. Chalking it up to nerves, I continued on my way back to the Gryffindor dorms, walking at a swifter pace. As I progressed down the hall, the footsteps that weren't mine once again ensued, sounding closer than before. Not sparing a glance backward, I began sprinting down the hallway, sure that I wasn't imaging sounds anymore. There was someone following me, someone I'm sure didn't want to have a friendly conversation about Quidditch._

_I was about to scream for help, regardless of the trouble I'd be in for being out this late when something like a wadded up cloth napkin was shoved into my mouth, temporality silencing me. The person who was following me, finally caught up with me, slamming me into the hard stone wall. With my back pressed into the chest of my attacker who was obviously a male a few good inches taller than I am._

_"Andrella, you made this way too easy for me. It almost takes away from the fun that's about to happen, almost…" A cold voice I didn't exactly recognize whispered in my ear, his hot breathe made my skin itch in disgust. His hands roughly gripped my sides, feeling my body with greedy hands. I felt so violated, so helpless with my arms held behind my back as the man continued to grope me shamelessly._

_"You need to learn some manners, little mud-blood. And I'm going to teach them to you, Andrella," the man growled, digging his sharp finger nails into the exposed skin of my hips. His fingers forced their way up my shirt, as I desperately tried to remember some of the nonverbal spells I learned last year to no avail. I was stricken with fear, paralyzed by it. I tried to scream but my voice was muffled by the cloth that was forcefully shoved into my mouth. When his hands, large and demanded tore the thick material of my skirt, I screamed with everything I had inside, pleading that someone would hear me and save me from him, whoever he is.…_

"Andi! Oh my god, are you alright? What happened?" Renae gasped worriedly as I sat up straight in my bed, eyes wider than tea saucers as I glanced around frantically. When I realized that it was all just a dream, I was safe in my bed instead of somewhere cornered in a hallway as an unknown man took advantage of me, my heart book returned back to normal.

"Yeah," I breathed now that my lungs were back in tact, "yeah, I'm fine. Just a nightmare," I tried to reassure her but she was staring at me with the same wary expression as when I woke up.

"You were screaming bloody murder, Andi. what was the dream about?" She asked, still looking skeptical as she sat down next to me on my bed. All the other girls in my dorm had woken up as well, but now they were all falling back asleep, disgruntled.

"Someone was attacking me in a hallway, I was gagged though, in the dream. I didn't think anyone could hear me screaming…" I admitted shyly, looking past Renae and out of the window that was open next to her bed.

"Oh, well, we heard you hear. I wouldn't be surprised if they heard you over in the boy's dorm," She chuckled lightly, getting off of my bed and stretching briefly before settling back into her own bed. "No more nightmare tonight, yeah?"

"Yeah…"I agreed, laying back down in my bed. She shut of the light a minute later, and was no doubt fast asleep a little after that. I, on the other hand, laid wide awake staring at the ceiling, whispering to myself over and over again "It was just a dream, it was just a dream, it was just a dream" like a mantra until I feel back into a very light sleep, impenetrable by dreams.

But I could still fell the warmth of his breath on my skin, his nails scratching roughly across my hips, the cold taunting way he said my name….and how familiar the voice sounded….

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**A/N. Any kind of comment on my story would be greatly appreciated. Whether you want to tell me that you love my story or if you hated, they're all welcome. I just would really like to know how my first attempt at a story Harry Potter related is going.**


	3. The One With the Game

Disclaimer:: I don't own any of the characters you recognize from the books for big screen. However, I own the original characters as well as the plot.

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I probably should have told Fred and George about my dream last night, and why the voice seemed so familiar to me, but when I saw them both beaming at me as soon as I walked into the common room, I didn't have the heart to do it. I would hate to know that I would be the one who made those smiles fall off their faces, and in no way did I want a repeat of what had happened yesterday. So instead, I bit my tongue and convinced a third year to try some ton-tongue toffee.

Sitting on one of the many staircases that Hogwarts housed, with Fred and George on either side of me, we joked about Professor Snape after having to endure tortuous double potions with him. Without really thinking about it, I rested my head on George's shoulder, flinging my legs across Fred' lap in a more comfortable position as I laughed along with my friends.

"Do you think he's ever even _heard _of shampoo?" Fred snickered, feeling especially spiteful after the ridiculous load of homework he imposed on us.

"You'd think that because he's so excellence at potions that he'd just develop something to take the grease out permanently," George laughed with his brother, not seeming to mind that I was using him as a pillow.

"Yeah, but this is Snape, we're talking about. I think he actually likes it or something," I shuddered, trying to figure out why anyone would ever want to be covered in enough grease to make a dozen donuts.

"You've got a point, Andi," Fred agreed, stealing some of the tootsie rolls I had in my bag. My mother sent them to me last week, knowing that it was my absolute favorite candy and you couldn't find them anywhere in the wizarding world.

"I usually do," I shot back, taking some of the chocolate for myself before they were all gone.

The day had gone by peacefully slow, and pleasantly uneventful. Every once and a while, I enjoyed a little downtime, where we weren't causing mayhem or getting reprimanded for said chaos. I loved the quiet days were the twins and I got joked around lightly, doing nothing spectacular. Even though I loved a good prank just as much as the twins, it was nice to take a break and just relax, spending a day with my two best friends.

"Looks like it's going to rain, we better move," George mumbled, looking up at the sky darkening above us. As we were out in the open, in clear shot of the rain, if we stayed where we were we would certainly get drenched.

Groaning, I began picking up some of the books that had spilled out of my book bag when Fred tackled me to the ground earlier. Idly, I wished that the storm clouds would subside and take the promise of rain with it. I was enjoying myself right now, and I didn't want something as mundane as rainy weather to ruin it.

As Fred and George gathered up their books, I glanced up once more at the sky scornfully. I looked up at it once more, sure that I had imagined the lack of menacing clouds glaring back at me ugly. But I hadn't. Instead of the grey dismal sky threatening rain, the sky was a light cross of baby blue and the dullest grey, no cloud darker than the shade of eggshell, anywhere to be seen.

"Well, will you look at that," Fred smiled with incredulity in his shining brown eyes as he stared up at the now miraculously clear sky. "Looks like luck is on our side," With that he sat back down in his still warm seat and began to steal more of my candy.

George and I both nodded in agreement as we took our previous seats, and George went on to make snide comments about our various teachers. Barely listening, I couldn't help but wonder how much truth laid in Fred's words. It seemed silly, but there really was no other way to explain why the on-coming storm disappeared so quickly. Was someone, someone who wished away the clouds, honestly lucky enough to simply wish them away? I laughed at myself then, realizing that I had even thought for a second someone could control the weather with a bit of luck, thankfully George seemed to thought that I was laughing at the joke he had just made.

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"Awww, does Ickle Ronniekins have a crush on Andi?" Fred snickered at his brother who blushed when George tripped me, causing me to land straight into his younger brother's lap.

"No, I don't," Ron defended himself weakly, his ears matching his hair spot on.

I glared at Fred, "Leave your brother alone, he's adorable," I grinned, kissing Ron on the cheek lightly before jumping off of his lap for a seat next to Renae instead. We were all sitting in the Gryffindor common room, which was surprisingly uncrowded seeing as dinner just let out.

"You're terrible," Renae laughed as I sat down next to her, smiling back innocently at Ron's now stupid beaming. My lips might have landed a bit closer to his lips than I had originally aimed for…but at least it got his brother to shut up.

"I am, but you love me. We've been over this," I rolled my eyes at her, pushing the book she was reading out of her hands. She was a bit too concerned with school work for my liking. "So are you coming to Hogsmeade with the boys and I tomorrow?" I questioned brightly, happy at the aspect of the coming trip to the local wizard town.

"I'm, uh, I'm sort of going with someone else," She stuttered uneasily, a blush not unlike Ron's creeping on to her face.

"You're going with someone else?" I gasped stupidly, "Well, who is it?!" I demanded, leaning closer to my friend expectantly. Though, I should have guessed who it was right away. Or rather, the position he played seeing as I had no idea who he actually was. The look on her face gave away it was the boy that she had a more than small crush on.

"You're never going to tell me are you?" I scoffed, getting marginally annoyed. It wasn't the fact I was dying to know who caught my friend's attention, though that would be nice to know, I just wanted to know why she was so dead-set against revealing his identity to me.

"It's not the right time," she answered, shaking her head sadly. Sighing, I thought that it would be best if I just let it go, knowing that there was no way she could confess anything to me while we were out in the open. Groaning inwardly, I wished that maybe I would find her and her secret escort somewhere in the village when I was wandering around with Fred and George.

After giving up on Renae, I moved so that I was squished between Lee and George as they argued about which was the better candy, Acips Pops or Fizzing Whizbees. Fred appeared to be trying to convince Angelina of something or other. Thankfully, it was Renae who saved me from my boredom. "Guys, I'm bored," she proclaimed, resting her head lazily against the stone wall by the fireplace.

"Well, what do you want to do?" Angelina asked, happy to have an excuse to disengage in whatever conversation she was having with Fred.

"I don't know, let's play a game," Renae replied looking excited.

"Exploding Snap?" George offered, also ditching his argument of candy. It seemed that everyone was a little more than bored at the moment. Renae shook her head dully, looking for something more exciting than the over played game of cards.

"Gobstones?" Lee suggested, with a shrug of the shoulders, thinking of nothing better than that. Again, Renae shook her head, uninterested.

"Well," I began slowly, not sure it was a good idea to play suggest this game or not. But decided it would probably be the only thing to pass the boredom, "we could play truth or dare,"

"What's that?" Fred voiced everyone's confusion, seeing as none of them have ever heard of the muggle game, all of them being pure-blood.

"It's this game that you play with a group of people," I began to explain, knowing that everyone would love this game given the company I was in, "you ask the person 'truth or dare'. If they pick truth you have to ask them a question to which they have to answer truthfully. If they pick dare, you have to dare them to do something and they can't back out of it, no matter what," I grinned at the reactions I had expected to see.

"Wicked," the twins replied in one of those connected moment, and everyone else seemed to be in agreement figuring, as I did, that the game could definitely eliminate our boredom.

"Let's play in the boy's dorm, it's empty," Lee grinned, already standing up and offering me a hand, which I took appreciatively.

"Sweet, let's go," Renae radiated her approval of both the game and location, and for a second and a half I thought that she might've liked Lee, if I hadn't known for a fact that he would be accompanying Fred, George, and I to Hogsmeade tomorrow.

Sitting on a circle in the center of the boy's dormitory, with Renae on my right and George on my left, the game was just about to begin. Angelina decided that he was going to ask first, and no one had any objections. "Alright, Fred, truth or dare?" she beamed at her friend expectantly.

"Dare," Fred replied simply, waiting for her to do his worst with an easy-going smirk on his face.

"I dare you to…remove three articles of clothing and keep them off for the next four rounds," she laughed at the expression on Fred's face as he looked down at himself, making sure that he was wearing three articles of clothing. When he realized that he did, his relaxed expression returned as he stood up and began to strip.

This sweater was the first to go, then a plain white tee being the next, leaving his toned chest bare. It was hard not to stare at him, his entire body toned from playing Quidditch, but I did my best. Without hesitation, he reached for the zipper on his pants and disregarded his pants. Sitting down on the floor in nothing but a pair of black boxers, he continued to smile, not seeming to be bothered that he was the only one in his underwear.

"Renae, truth or dare?" Fred asked, his elbows resting on both knees, propping up his head.

With a quick glance at me, she reluctantly muttered a weak, "Truth,"

"What is one question you'd _HATE _to be asked?" Fred smirked, knowing that he just set up the perfect trap. After she answered the question, she's always have to pick dare or answer the one question she'd hate to answer. I had to hand it to him, for being his first time playing, he was really good at it.

"I guess, that would be…"she inhaled, knowing that she was completely stuck, "who I liked," I caught the meaningful glance she shot at me. I smiled at her innocently, knowing that if she was asked truth again, I would finally have the answer to my question.

"Andi," She started and somehow, I knew that no matter what I chose, I was in trouble. The smirk on her lips proved that, and there was no way I believed the innocence she was faking in her eyes. "truth or dare?"

"Dare," I said bravely, knowing that I could never answer the question burning on the tip of her tongue truthfully with George sitting right beside me.

"I dare you to…make-out with George, for a minute," She smirked at me, vindictively, knowing how badly this dare would effect me. I ran my tongue over my teeth, trying to keep my blushing to a minimum. If she was doing this to bother me, I had to do the best I could to show I didn't really care, even though I was freaking out on the inside.

"I'll do it if you will," I shrugged my shoulder, turning to my left. George was smilingly slightly as well, his hand itching the back of his neck. That caused me to smile a little wider, knowing he only did that when he was really nervous or embarrassed.

"I'm down," he replied nonchalantly. Not looking me directly in the eyes, but he seemed like he meant it.

"Time starts now," Renae told us with a flick of her wand, no doubt starting a magical hourglass.

Sitting on my knees, I leaned toward George who mirrored my position. Before I knew what was happening, George's lips met mine. I didn't think about the four other people in the room watching us, or the only reason we were kissing was a dare. Instead my head swam with the familiar scent of George, an apple orchard, the burnt smell of singes after a potion or spell gone awry, and the homey smell that his Christmas sweaters always smelt like, and the fact that it was George that I was finally kissing after all the time I've dreamt about it.

"It's been a minute, guys," Lee told us softly, as we both broke apart slowly. This time George didn't avoid my eyes, and they locked for a second, but that was all the time needed for my heart to start racing under my red and black striped sweater.

After the kiss George and I shared, we learned that Angelina could sing Opera--which we made her demonstrate--Renae would have white-blond hair, blue eyes and be extremely tall if she was a guy, and she would spend the entire time doing disgusting things that only guys can get away with in public if she was a guy for one day, George would use Fred as a slave for a day and make him go to all of his classes and do all of his homework if he had to chose one person in the room to be his slave, Lee would want to be stranded with Angelina on a desert island for the rest of his life because she was the least annoying out of all of us.

Not to mention, Lee had to sit on Fred's lap when Fred was still only wearing his underwear, Renae had to walk into the third year boy's dorm wearing only her bra and underwear and stay in there until she was done singing all of the Weird Sisters' "Do the Hippogriff", George had to put a bucket of ice down his pants and wait until they all melted until walking down into the common room and hold a conversation with someone looking like he had pissed his pants. Lee and I had to dirty dance with each other, which was kind of awkward and fun at the same time.

We continued to play until Kennedy Moore, the sixth year prefect barged in and told us all to get back into our rightful dorms. After I showered that night, staring at the ceiling as I settled into my bed, I couldn't help but think about the way George's lips moved against mine, and the way it felt so right. "Thanks, Renae" I mumbled, just loud enough for her to hear.

"Anytime, Andi, anytime, " Renae replied without missing a beat. If there was one thing about Renae that I loved above everything else, it was her way of always forcing me to do things I wanted to do, but couldn't ever do it on my own.

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A/N : Any kind of feedback would be greatly appreciated! And I really hope you all enjoyed chapter three. (:


	4. The One with the Unpleasant Sight

I ONLY OWN THE CHARACTERS YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE. And the Plot, can't forget about the plot. which is TOTALLY MINE.

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"Would you stop fretting, Andi?" Renae sighed, rolling her eyes at me as I looked over my outfit again. "You look gorgeous as you are,"

I wasn't sure why I was as nervous as I was, but there was no denying the fact that I was indeed nervous. I had already changed my clothes three times before finally decided on a pair of black skinnies and a red and black plaid quarter-sleeve shirt. My hair was pulled up into a messy bun with my bangs and strands of hair falling into my face. My eyes were lined with a thin layer of black mascara and eyeliner and my nails were painted a very deep maroon.

"Ugh, I guess," I groaned, slipping into my black and red striped flats and tightening my belt around my waist. Renae looked rather dressed up herself, and it made my curiosity burn even further. Who could she possibly be going with that she wouldn't tell me about? And she had to care about this guy a lot because Renae doesn't just get dressed up for anything. She was wearing a white corset with a black pull over and short black skirt with fishnets underneath with pinstripes stilettos. I also noticed she spent more time on her hair and make up today than she usually did.

"Why are you even worried I mean, you're just hanging out with the guys right, and you never get all self-conscious any of the other times? So what's different now?" Renae questioned, as we excited the girl's sixth year dorm. All the other girls, had already left quite some time ago for breakfast and I wouldn't be surprised if the guys were already down there, too.

"You know, I could ask you the same question, Miss Silver!" I retorted, happy that I had an excuse to avoid her question. I didn't want to admit that the reason I was so worried about the way I looked was because of the kiss that George and I had last night, even though I knew he probably wouldn't even notice the extra effort I put into my outfit.

"Well, I already told you that I'm going on a date today," She mumbled in a very low voice, her cheeks brightening up instantly. I knew that it was a big deal for her, seeing as she hadn't dated anyone since Tyler.

Tyler Monnack, had been her muggle boyfriend back in America, and they only recently broke up at the end of this summer. They've been together for about eight months, and they ended on a bitter note. Tyler promised her that he would stay faithful to her over her school year at Hogwarts (which he thought was some fancy art school in Australia) but at the end of the summer she found out that when she was away at school, he had cheated on her. Since then, she has been very cautious about who she showed interest in and trusted.

"Yeah, yeah I know," I humped grumpily, still put off by the fact I was being kept in the dark by one of my best friends.

"But anyway, Andi, you're changing the subject," She retorted as we walked down the crowded hallways to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Yes, I am," I stated back just as easily, speeding up until I reached the entrance to the Great Hall, scanning the Gryffindor table for two heads of matching flaming heads probably thrown back in laughter or bent close together as if they were scheming about something or other, which they probably were.

"You know I'll found out anyway," She cheerfully pointed out, as I found Fred and George and headed toward them briefly.

"Maybe, maybe not," I replied, sitting down next to Fred happily.

"This isn't over, Wendling," Renae remarked with a sense of triumphant. She knew that even if I didn't tell her right now, I most likely would before the day was over. Though I hated to admit it, she was probably right. Even though I was a fair liar when I needed to be, like when I got caught sneaking out of my room--which rarely happened, the getting caught part I mean--and stuff like that, but I could never keep a secret from Renae.

"What isn't over?" Fred asked as we settled down next to him.

"Nothing," Renae and I replied quickly. Even though I hated keeping secrets from my friends, especially my best friends, there was no way I would be letting Fred in on this one. How could I tell him that I was in love with his brother and that insignificant kiss last night had me double-checking my appearance every chance I got?

"Whatever," He rolled his eyes but continued to shovel food into his mouth in a very unappetizing fashion. Though it had no affect on my growling stomach as I reached for another muffin, being with the boys this long has made me all but immune to their disgusting boyish habits.

I sighed in contentment, happy that he let the subject drop so easily. This didn't go unnoticed though, because I saw George shot me a questioning glace which I shrugged off. Today was not the day for revealing secrets, at least none of mine anyway.

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"How can you say that? He's like twice your age," George scoffed, taking some of my butterbeer. Somehow Fred and George always drank their butterbeers quicker than I did and found it necessary to help me finish mine.

"So? He's still sex on legs," I laughed at the twin expressions on Fred and George's faces.

"I can't believe you just said that about Sirius Black, Andi," Fred stated, eating some of the chocolate he bought at Honeydukes.

"Psh, whatever. He's gorgeous, even if he is like forty," I rolled my eyes and stole some of his chocolate even though I had my own in a bag in my pocket. Why eat my own when I could eat someone else's, right?

It was around noon or so, and we've only been in Hogsmead for a few hours, but already it was a very eventful day. After all, that's what to be expected when you hang out with Fred and George, a good time is almost guaranteed. Renae disappeared after breakfast, claiming that she left something in our dorm. But I knew that she was off to meet her secret date. So far we've only been to Honeyduke's and Zonko's, but to be fair those were the only shops that really mattered anyway.

"If you'll excuse me for a minute," I mumbled quietly, but neither Fred or George heard me anyway, seeing as they were both deep in conversation about why it was so unfair that all the guys our age were looking for someone older. I rolled my eyes at them before making my way to the loo.

I don't know why I was disappointed George didn't say anything or take notice to the extra effort I put into my appearance today. It wasn't like I honestly expected him to, and I might have even thought he was sick if he did say something. I can't recall a single time when either twin has said anything positive about the way I look in a non-sarcastic way, it just wasn't the way we operated. But either way, I found my self sighing as I washed my hands, stopping only when I noticed a folded piece of paper in the from of a bird soar through the window. It began poking me in the side of my face, making it very apparent that I was intended to find it, and open it immediately. Warily, I decided I should just get it over with.

_Are you trying to tempt me Wendling? With that short little skirt of yours? You're making me want to speed up the plan. A filthy mud blood like you shouldn't look that sexy. Oh the things I will do to you once I get my hands on you. And don't doubt for a second that the time will come, princess. The only question is when…_

Shivering as I re-read the words on the paper, making sure that I had read the words clearly I glanced up at myself in the mirror. The face staring back at my frightened me, the terrified expression had to be of someone else. I felt so dirty all of the sudden, looking down at myself in disgust. Maybe my skirt was a little too short, my tights were pushing it. I clutched my stomach tightly, feeling slightly nauseated. Whoever had sent this note has saw me go into the bathroom. For all I know, they could be out there still sitting only feet away from the twins and I.

Stuffing the note into my pocket, questioning my sanity for not just burning it, I stalked out of the bathroom the uneasy feeling still washing over me. My eyes scanned the many happy faces of the witches and wizards enjoying a butterbeer or firewhiskey (if they were of age) at the Three Broomsticks. None of them looked like stalkers, but one of them had to be. The thought alone made me speed up in my race to get back to Fred and George.

"All right, there, Andi?" Fred asked as I rushed over to the table. Not bothering to say anything at first, but quickly gathering up my processions.

"No…"I shivered, the piece of parchment in my pocket weighing a ton, "Let's go," I whispered, turning around and heading for the door. Fred and George shared a nervous glance before following me out of the pub, matching expressions on worry playing on their faces.

"Drella, What's wrong? What happened?" George questioned, walking in front of me and seizing my shoulders, forcing me to come to a halt. His eyes met mine, capturing me in a deep gaze. It was like he was trying to look into my mind and pry the memory out using nothing but the astonishing power hidden in his chocolate eyes. I broke under his intense stare and found myself breaking the contact to stare just beyond his shoulder into the fitting cloudy sky.

"I-I," I stuttered, caught up in myself. Do I tell them the truth and have a repeat of last time? Or do I lie and keep it all to myself? Because I know if I told Renae she'd do something right away, something rash and probably too drastic.

"Come on, Drella," George sighed, his eyebrows furrowed in determination. "We're your best friends, we care about you. And if something is scaring you this much, we want to know. So we can hex whoever did this to you," George reassured me warmly, still holding onto my shoulders and bending his head down slightly so we were eyelevel.

"I, um," I sighed, not knowing how to begin. "Let's go somewhere we won't be heard, yeah?" I gave up. I knew that they would find out eventually anyway, and I know I'd feel a lot safer if I knew the guys were in on my situation. Fred and George smiled, happy that they were going to be able to know why I was so afraid and properly curse whoever had made me that way. However, as Fred took my hand and lead me into the alley way, it was the first time where all thoughts on the notes were gone from my thoughts.

There pressed against the walls, her fishnet-clad legs wrapped against his waist, her hands tangled in his white-blond hair and their faces attached at the mouth, were Renae Silver and Draco Malfoy. DRACO MALFOY…

Fred cleared his throat awkwardly, gawking at the couple kissing passionately in front of us. Breaking apart, Draco wore that dreadful smirk which seemed permanently sewn to his face and Renae's face was a cross between mortified and absolutely terrified.

"Renae Lynn Silver, you have some explaining to do," I growled, glaring at my sheepish looking best friend who was smoothing down her hair desperately. Suddenly, I understood exactly why Renae wouldn't tell me who she was meeting. Who would want to openly admit to snogging Ferret Boy? Even though the note's creepy words were scary and more stalkerish than I've ever heard, there were more important things at hand.

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**(A/N. Any kind of critism and comments are welcomed and appreciated. It would mean a lot to me if you told me what you thought about this story. )**

**Ex's and Oh's**

**Audrey V. Sullivan.**


	5. The One with the Kiss

Perhaps I wasn't really handling the situation correctly, and I was definitely not calm, but I honestly didn't know how else to act. But how would you act if you found one of your very best friends snogging someone you despised? I stood there glaring at them for a few seconds before Renae finally got the hint that I needed to talk to her, NOW.

"Uh, Draco, can I talk to you later or something. I really need to talk to Andi right now," she looked like a cross between mortified and terrified, not that I blamed her. I would feel the same way if I was caught kissing Ferret Boy. But, I would NEVER kiss him, so we're right back to the problem at hand.

"Sure, babe. We'll talk later…" he was whispering in her ear, smirking all the while. I think he knew how much I wanted to punch him in the face right now, and that was why he was doing it, to give himself another reason to try to fight me. When he left, he was still smirking, looking oddly triumphant.

Once he had completely cleared out of the alley, I turned back to Renae, ready to start the acquisition. However, before I had the chance to talk, Renae had begun to talk frantically.

"Look, Andrella, before you say anything let me talk first, please?" I knew by the use of my whole name she was serious, she usually just called me Andi like everyone else. I decided to let her talk first, because I couldn't think of anything that could possibly make this situation better.

"I…I never meant to fall for him. I really didn't. But remember when we got in trouble for setting off those dung bombs in Filth's office and we all had separate detentions?" I nodded my head, remembering exactly the time she was talking about.

"Well, I had to go into the dungeons to wash out cauldrons. Draco was also there…and well, we actually talked. And…I don't know I just left felling like there were butterflies in my stomach. I can't really put it into words, it just feels right when I'm around him," She sighed, looking into the far distance like a lovesick puppy. It would be cute if I didn't know who she was thinking about.

"The only reason I didn't tell you is because I know you don't like him, and that I wasn't supposed to like him, and I knew you'd act exactly like this," the last sentence was all jumbled and rushed.

"Seriously, though, Draco Malfoy?" I shook my head, still in disbelief. Out of all the promising boys in the school, and she choose him. I just couldn't understand why.

"I didn't question you when you told me who you liked. I was supportive all the way, and I still am," She murmured quietly.

"Oh, come on! That is so different! The person that I…like and Draco are totally opposite!" I said, my cheeks reddening as the twins looked at me suspiciously. They didn't know that I had liked anyone, but now that secret was out.

"I still supported you though. I mean, I know how much you like him. And I just wish you could be like that with me. I like Draco just as much as you like,…well, you know who," she told me, her confidence once again raising.

"I doubt that. But I mean, I just don't understand how this could happen, Renae," I shook my head sadly. But I was beginning to see her point. If she thought she liked Draco as much as I liked George, well, who was I to be mad at her for something like that?

"It just creeped up on me, the same way yours did. I never wanted feelings for him, it just happened. And it feels right. God, Andi, it feels wonderful when I'm with him. So can you please, please just get past it for me. I'm not saying you have to be okay with it, just…tolerate it?" she pleaded with me. And I could tell that she really meant it. I wouldn't ever understand how she liked a toad like him, but it was clear that she did.

"Well, fine, alright. But if he hurts you, I will personally kill him myself, understood?" I warned her, still not feeling quite right about all of this. But I was her friend, and I wasn't going to let something like this get between our friendship.

"Thank you! Andi, thank you so much! It means so much to me. I never want to loose you," She smiled widely, embracing me tightly. I hugged her back, agreeing that I didn't want to loose her either.

"Okay, now that that's all over…can we do something fun?" Fred asked. For a minute I had almost forgot they were there. I would say completely, but whenever George was around I was hyperaware of his presence.

"Yes. Yeah, let's just go do something fun," I nodded earnestly. Something fun was exactly what I needed right now. Something fun and carefree that would wipe all of this from my mind.

"So, Drella. Who is this guy? The one you like?" George asked with a mischievous grin. I groaned inwardly. I was hoping that they would just have forgotten that part, or at least not brought it up. But I knew them, and I knew that this wouldn't be a subject easily dropped.

"None of your business," I mumbled, feeling a sudden rush of heat on my cheeks.

"Aw, look, George. She's blushing," Fred teased, ruffling my hair slightly.

"Come on, you might as well just tell us. We'll figure it out eventually anyway," George insisted, trying to catch my glance. But I made sure that didn't happen. My cheeks were already as bright as the twins' hair, I didn't need them to be any redder.

"I'm not telling you. So you might as well drop it," I insisted, starting down the path back to the school. Hopefully once we got back into the castle I would be able to hide from them if they consisted with these questions.

"Fine if you won't tell us, we'll just have to guess," Fred countered, getting this determined look on this face.

"Will you tell if we guess correctly?" George asked, his expression mirroring his brothers. The twins being who they were, liked games. And sad enough for me, I knew how good they were at them.

"I suppose. But I have one rule, I'm allowed to pass on any question I feel like," I sighed, but made no promises. Honestly, I had no intention of telling them who I really liked, but I would amuse them for a bit longer.

"Fair enough, but only three," George agreed. I nodded my head and made a gesture with my hand, signaling for them to begin. We were just starting on the path toward the school, and it was still a good mile before we would reach the gates.

"Okay, first question. Boy or girl?" Fred asked with a wink.

"Seriously?" I shook my head at him. That really would be the first question they asked. Don't get me wrong, I had no problem with gay people or anything like that, but I wasn't one to play for both teams.

"Boy,"

"What house is he in?" George questioned.

"Gryffindor," I replied smoothly. So far, there weren't any touchy questions. And if there were, I would lie to throw them off trail. I didn't like lying, especially not to my best friends, but in this case it was necessary.

"How old is he?" Fred asked next.

"Pass," I answered back automatically. There were few too little Gryffindor sixth years for me to answer that question.

"What? That's a valid question!" He protested, obviously not liking the fact that I was making the game harder than necessary.

"I can pass on any question I want, it's one of the rules. Now, ask another one before I get bored and decide to stop playing," I yawned. Yes, the boys were good at games. But honestly, who do you think taught them the majority of what they knew? Someone once said 'Behind every great man is a woman,'. Frankly, they couldn't be anymore right.

"Okay, fine. Do they play quidditch?" George inquired, deciding that my unwillingness to answer the question was just a way to make this more fun. Clearly, he thought he was up to the challenge.

"Yes," I admitted. It was starting to get risky now, there were only four boys on the Gryffindor team as of now, and Fred and George being two of them. However, I never said anything about him _currently_ playing quidditch, and that's the catch.

"Please tell me it isn't Wood!" Fred exclaimed, looking horrified.

"It's not Wood. But he is pretty good looking now that you mention it. A bit too obsessive for me though," I shrugged.

"Potter? He's a little young, don't you think?" George scoffed, looking down at me with an odd expression.

"Nope, not Harry. But he isn't that much younger than I am," I replied, knowing what was coming next, and exactly how I would handle it.

"Well, the only ones left are…George and I! And you don't like one of us, do you?" Fred almost looked scared for a second, but then he got that devious look on his face again and scooted a bit closer to me, swinging his arm around my shoulder.

"No, idiot. I don't like you or him. No offense, but neither of you are really my type," I scoffed, pushing him away from me lightly. I glanced back at Renae, winking at her when neither of the boys were looking.

"But that doesn't make any sense! There aren't any other boys on the team," George exclaimed, looking a bit annoyed.

"You asked me if he played quidditch, not if he was on the team," I corrected him, smiling to myself. I had handled the last question very well, even if I was flat out lying.

We had just reached the gates when Fred began with the next question. "Okay, what color hair?"

I had to admit, that was a good one. And I decided to go with a truthful answer, even if it would give things away drastically. "Red," I smirked at their confused faces as they tired to remember another ginger Gryffindor kids that played quidditch besides themselves.

"Red hair. Gryffindor. Quidditch…"George mumbled to himself. "No way! You don't like Charlie, do you?"

"Not anymore. Though, I have to admit. Fourth year, I had a major crush on him," I laughed at their expressions.

"Seriously, Charlie?" Fred gaped.

"Quidditch captain, gorgeous and not to mention that element of danger he has. Yeah, it's hard to figure out why anyone would like him," I rolled my eyes at them.

"You don't…no there is no possible way…" Fred mumbled, looking incredulous.

"What?" I asked, having a very good idea what his next guess would be. As we walked down the hall toward the Great Hall, I saw what I was waiting for; another head of flaming red hair.

"_Ron_? " George finished his twin's thoughts, sharing the same disbelieving look.

"You caught me," I laughed. They continued to stare at me blankly. " Oh, look there he is now. I think I'll go talk to him,"

With that I took off down the hall, to where Ron was standing with Harry. As soon as I reached them, I wrapped my arm around Ron's waist, smiling up at him while doing so. "Hey there, Ron. Harry,"

"Uh, hey, Andi. What's up?" Harry asked, looking a bit surprised at my sudden appearance.

"Oh, nothing much. Playing a joke on Fred and George, you know. Go along with it, will you?" I asked them, knowing this would be perfect if everything went according to plan.

"Sure, whatever you say. So what's the joke?" Ron asked, looking like he was happy enough at the minute to go along with anything I asked him too. It was probably really mean and selfish of me for doing this to him, but I knew that I would do it anyway. There is no way I was going to let George figure out how I really felt about him.

"Uh, I kind of told them that…I had a crush on you, so could you go along with it. But if you don't want to, I completely understand," there was a very small part of me that wanted Ron to refuse, but we both knew that he wouldn't.

"Umm, yeah, sure, okay," he stuttered, looking very flustered all of a sudden. "What do you need me to do?"

"Just go along with everything I do, okay? Oh, look they're coming over," I grinned. I glanced over at them, giving my best girly-embarrassed-giggle.

Then I leaned in very close to Ron, and whispered in his ear just loud enough for Fred and George to hear, "Let's go upstairs, yeah?"

"Anything you say," He answered back, grabbing my hand and starting to move forward. With a wink I waved goodbye to everyone and followed after Ron. The look on the twin's and Renae's faces was priceless. It took all my self restraint not to burst out laughing right there.

After we disappeared out of sight, I let go of Ron's hand. However, he seemed to have other plans, he pulled me into an emptied classroom instead. I was surprised by his actions, but didn't think anything of it. I was way too happy from the successful prank. I would probably tell Fred and George was really happened later, but for right now it was too much fun.

"Wow, Ron. Thanks for playing along! Did you see the look on their faces?" I grinned, replaying the whole thing over in my head again.

Ron didn't laugh, he was simply standing there looking at me what I could only guess to be a calculating expression.

"Ron?" I asked again, really studying him. But no amount of looking could've prepared me for what he did next.

Before I knew it, soft lips were pressed against mine and Ron's hand was cradling my face. I tensed up having no idea what to do. He had completely caught me off guard. But as soon as it had started, it was over and he was just looking at me again.

"Oh, Ron, I'm so sorry," I said sadly. I can't believe I had lead him on like this. I mean, I knew he had liked me, I couldn't have just let him could I?

"No…no, It's okay, I get it,' he said in the most dejected voice, looking at the floor with earnest.

"No, Ron you don't," I sighed, knowing what I had to do to set things right. "It's not that I don't like you. I think you're really sweet and cute but…there's someone else,"

"'Course there is," he whispered, keeping a firm gaze on the floor.

"Okay, listen. You're the first person I'm telling this to besides Renae," With that he looked up. "I really like you Ron, but…I'm…," I mumbled, the entire last sentence coming out as one giant mashed up word.

"What?" he asked, obviously not having understood me.

I gulped, taking in a big gush of air. "I'm in love with George,"


	6. The One With Triwizard Champions

Ron began to laugh, and I don't mean a little chuckle or anything, I mean flat out laughter. Now I was the one just standing there, staring at Ron blankly. I tell him I was in love with his brother…and he laughed at me. Well, if this was Ron's reaction I knew for certain that I would never be telling George.

"Ah, that was a good one, Andi. You really had me going there for a minute," Ron tried to explain, his laugh fading to a dully amused smile. I didn't say anything, but just remained to stare at him, trying to figure what on earth he was talking about. And then the smile left his face completely. "Wait, this isn't a joke? You actually…_love_ George?"

"Yeah…" I mumbled while avoiding eye contact. I could feel my cheeks heating up again and didn't want to make it any worse.

"How long have you known?" He questioned in all seriousness.

"When I stayed over your house for a few weeks before your third year," I admitted, still feeling embarrassed.

"For that long? And he doesn't know?" He asked incredulously, trying to work that one out. Even I hadn't managed to figure that one out yet.

"Neither George nor Fred know, and I would very much like to keep it that way. So…can we keep everything I just said between us?" I asked, having no idea what I would do if he insisted on telling his brothers.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," he paused for a while and I waited, knowing he wasn't finished yet. "Are you planning on telling him anytime soon?"

"And risk six years of friendship? No, definitely not. It would be useless anyway, he doesn't feel the same way about me," I sighed, knowing that the entire thing was hopeless. George was a very good-looking guy, and I wasn't the only one who had noticed. I knew at least ten girls off hand that wouldn't mind meeting him in an empty broom closet after hours. But I was only a friend to George, practically just another one of the guys.

"I guess," Ron shrugged weakly, obviously not knowing what else to say.

"Okay, come on. Let's go back to the Great Hall, it should be time for dinner soon, and they're announcing the Triwizard Champions tonight," I grinned, happy to change the subject.

"What are we going to tell everyone…about before?" Ron's cheeks reddened a bit as he said this. Probably just remembering how badly he had gotten rejected, even if it wasn't really intended.

"Oh, don't worry about that. I've got it covered," I laughed, knowing exactly the best cover story.

* * *

"Andrella Raynee Wendling, you better explain yourself right this second! What do you think you're doing leading him on like that!" Renae hissed in my ear, pulling me away from Fred and George. Ron and I had come back down to the great hall and had explained that we both thought it best if we remained as just friends. Still, no one could believe that I liked Ron in the first place, especially the twins. After we all finished eating, the tables were pushed to the sides and everyone was waiting to find out who the three Triwizard champions were going to be.

"Calm down, Renae," I whispered back, to make sure that no one would over hear us. "It was just a joke I was playing on those two, I never liked Ron like that. However…there was a slight problem," I mumbled, glancing over at Ron momentarily.

He was deep in conversation with Harry, and I was almost positive he was telling him what had happened, or at least the version we made up to tell everyone else. Since he was the one rejected, we turned it around, to make him look better and more "manly" as he put it. Whatever, I didn't honestly mind as long as my actual secret remained a secret.

"What do you mean, there was problem?" She asked cautiously, not looking too pleased. She had always thought my flirting with Ron was terribly wrong because it was obvious how he felt about me, and yet I had no intention in actually returning those feeling or letting it develop into anything further.

"He kissed me," I replied, looking down at the floor.

"He kissed you! AndI, I can't believe you let him do that!" she began to yell but I told her to quiet down immediately not wanting this to go around the school.

"Relax, I stopped him. That isn't the biggest thing though," she looked at me blankly, waiting for me to continue, trying to work out what could possibly be bigger than Ron kissing me. "he looked so sad, and I hated that I had lead him on like that…so I had to explain. I told him who really liked, "

"You did? What did he say to that?" Her eyes were wide and alive with curiosity.

"Well, at first he laughed at me. But when he realized I wasn't kidding he just wanted to know how long I had liked him for. And I made him promise to never tell anyone. We made up that story we told you for Fred and George; to make Ron look cooler," I explained.

She nodded her head, but if she was about to say anything I didn't hear her because at that moment Dumbledore rose from his seat and began to talk. In front of him, the Goblet of Fire glowed with blue flames. I found myself transfixed on the flames, and their beauty. I most of zoned out for a minute because now Dumbledore was standing in front of the flame, waiting for the first champion's name to pop out from the fire.

Everyone was anxiously waiting to hear the first name. All the seventeen year old students from Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons who had entered their name were nearly on the edges of their seats. And then a piece of parchment exploded from the goblet and floated down into Dumbledore's hand.

"The Durmstrang champion is Viktor Krum!" He shouted once he had unfolded the paper. After a brief display of happiness with his fellow classmates, Krum walked to the front of the hall.

Two more names were drawn from the goblet, from the two remaining schools. The Beauxbaton champion was a girl named Fleur Delancour, a pretty, blond French girl. The Hogwarts' champion was Cedric Diggory, a seventh year Hufflepuff who I had never spoken too before.

With all the champions now selected, Dumbledore began with the closing speech. But with a cackle from the goblet and an eruption of red flames, he was interrupted. The goblet spat out another piece of parchment, blowing it high into the air. Dumbledore was quick to snatch it, and we all watched his bewildered face as he read the name to himself.

"Harry Potter," He called, searching the crowd frantically.

Hermione, who was sitting besides Harry pushed him forward and encouraged him to go on. Harry looked downright horrified as he walk stiffly over to Dumbledore, who thrust the piece of charred parchment into his hands.

There was a angry murmur then, claiming that Harry was a cheat. I simply watched him, awestruck. There was no way that Harry could have entered his name, the goblet was enchanted by Dumbledore himself. Harry was an exceptional wizard, but there was no way he could have broken the spells Dumbledore cast.

Dumbledore, Karkaroff, Madam Maxine, and some of the other Hogwarts Professors disappeared with the four Triwizard champions. McGonagall stood then in front of all the students who were talking to their friends excitedly about what had just happened, and simply cleared her throat and said, " All students are to report to their houses' common room immediately,"

Everyone was quick to do as she commanded. I stood up silently, rushing forward to reach Fred and George who were talking to themselves quietly. "What do you think is going to happen to Harry, now?" I asked, worried for him. This tournament had an age limit on it for a reason, it was extremely dangerous.

"I'm not sure, Drells. But whatever does happen, don't worry about it. Harry can handle himself," George reassured me, resting his arm over my shoulder. I snuggled closer to him, his presence was very relaxing at the moment.

When we had finally reached the common room, I didn't feel like sticking around and waiting for Harry to come back. With everything that had happened today, I was exhausted. Hopefully in the morning everything would calm down just a little bit and become slightly more manageable.

Fred and George both sat down on the couch nearest the fireplace and looked to me expectantly, wondering why I hadn't joined them. "I'm just going to go to bed, okay? I'm really tired," I yawned, proving me point furthermore.

"Try to get some sleep, yeah?" Fred smiled, relaxing in the heat of the fire. I nodded my head at him, planning on doing just that.

"G'night, Drella," George told me quietly, his voice soothing.

"Goodnight, George," I replied, not being able to keep the small smile from my face.

The Girls' Sixth Year dorm was empty when I got there, everyone being downstairs. I was very thankful for that, not wanting to talk to anyone right now. I meant it when I said I was exhausted, I wanted nothing more than some sleep right now. I changed into my pajamas, a tank top and running shorts, and put my dirty clothes into the hamper under my bed. I usually did laundry every other day, and by laundry I mean magically washing my clothes.

There was a bathroom attached to the dorms, and it was big enough for the five of us to share in the mornings without anything getting too hectic. I went to go brush my teeth before going to bed like I usually do. I didn't do as thorough of a job as I should have, hurrying to get to bed. However, I must have taken longer than I thought, because when I walked back to my bed there was a piece of folded parchment awaiting me.

I stared at it blankly for a few seconds, not exactly sure of what to do. It probably would have been wiser to just throw it away without looking at it. But my curious mind wouldn't allow me to do that. Even though I was nervous to open the note up, I was going to do so anyway. The note was in my hands about to be opened when the door swung in and Renae walked in, looking a bit flustered.

Quickly I stuffed the note under my pillow and turned to her. Putting on my most convincing smile, I asked as nonchalant as possible, "What's up?"

"Nothing," she sighed, stalking over to her bed and plopping down in a very unladylike manor. 'What's that you're hiding?" She motioned to the pillow.

"Uh, it's nothing…" I mumbled, not being able to think of a good lie while being this worn down with exhaustion.

"I honestly have no idea how you get away with have the stuff you do, you're a terrible liar," She told me matter-of-factly. Maybe she was right, maybe I was a terrible liar, but at least the things I need to stay secret do, for the most part anyway.

"Come on then, what was it?" she persisted, but I said nothing, simply shrugging my shoulders. "It was another one of those notes, wasn't it! AndI! let me see it!" She insisted, looking very displeased. I groaned, not wanting to make this into any bigger than it was, but knew it was a hopeless case. If I didn't give it to her now, she would go get Fred and George and have them get it from me.

I handed the parchment to her reluctantly, looking down as she read it. I glanced up when she made a made a weird sound, it almost sounded like a growl. Renae, well, she is a very nice girl, but when she gets angry she goes full throttle. And I could tell now that whatever was written on the paper had gotten her very angry.

"Andrella, we have to go to Dumbledore as soon as possible. Did you read that? It's disgusting and absolutely terrifying! You can't let this go on any longer, it's not safe," Renae exclaimed, thrusting the paper into my chest. I unfolded it and began to read. My curiosity out-weighed my terror and I needed to know what the paper said to get Renae this fired up.

_**You are trying to tempt me, aren't you, with those lacey little things? I can't wait to have my way with you. Pull on your blond hair as you beg for death. Your days are numbered, Mud Blood. **_

The paper fell out of my hands, as the words played over and over in my head. The voice of the man from my nightmare growled menacingly in my ear, as I stared blankly at Renae. I was a considerably brave person, being in Gryffindor and all, but this had me terrified. There was someone in the room while I was changing and I didn't even see them. For all I know they could still be here…hiding.

With that thought I sprinted out of the room, not caring that I was barely wearing anything. I just needed to be away from there…where he had been. Someone wanted to hurt me, kill me, and whoever it was saw me at my most vulnerable state.

There were only a few people left in the common room; the rest of my dorm mates, a few strangling second years and who I wanted to see most right now, the twins. I didn't even think about what I was doing, I just ran and hide myself between Fred and George in the couch. People were staring at me, but I didn't care. I was so far beyond that point at the moment. I just wanted to feel safe even if it was false security, and I knew that being by George would do that for me.

I threw my arms around him, laying my head in his chest, and just simply breathed in his scent. For a second there was only him, nothing else. He returned the hug unsurely, not really sure what I was doing. That didn't matter either right now because he was simply there, and already I was starting to think a bit clearer. I saw Renae walk up to Fred and hand him the two notes, the one I got earlier today in The Three Broomsticks and the one I had just gotten.

I watched Fred get so angry while reading that his hands clenched the paper so hard I was amazed it didn't rip. George looked worried and confused as he reached for the note with one hand and kept the other arm around me. I could feel his grip tighten around me every second that he read, until it almost actually hurt. He threw the paper on the floor and looked straight into my eyes.

"Nothing is going to happen to you, Drella. Do you understand? We are going to Dumbledore right now, and we are doing whatever we can to keep you safe and make sure this sick freak gets caught," He stated passionately, and I could tell how angry he was just by the way his lips had formed into a hard line. Fred looked just enraged and nodded to his brother's words, standing up and starting toward the door.

"O-okay," I muttered, my voice coming out a lot more hoarse than I had planned. I had never seen the twins so angry in their lives. It was scary and at the same time sort of endearing because I knew that they were mad because they truly cared about me and didn't want anything to hurt me.

George held my hand the entire time down to Dumbledore's office, and to be honest it was making everything a lot better. Renae had acquired the other note to show Dumbledore so he would see everything and hopefully make catching the whoever was threatening me easier. Fred began to knock on the door impatiently, not taking the late hour into consideration.

There were some muffled footsteps and then the door was opened. Dumbledore stood there in tan sleeping gowns looking very disheveled and surprised. "All of you out of bed at this hour. I assume whatever the occasion it is of utter importance?" he asked in that quizzical way he did. When we all shook our heads gravely, he stepped out of the doorway. "Then by all means, please do come in,"

George led me into the office and continued to hold my hand when I sat down in the small cushioned chair in front of Dumbledore's desk. George looked like he had seen a ghost and refused to let go of me for even a second. Fred looked like he was about to hit something, and Renae looked absolutely horrified.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Dumbledore questioned, settling down behind his desk.

"These," George told him, tossing the three pieces of parchments on the desk with a disgusting expression. "Someone is threatening Andrella. They've been stalking her and sending her these notes,"

Dumbledore read them quickly, keeping a composed face. "I see," He murmured, stroking his very long beard. "When and where did you receive each note?" He asked me in a very serious voice.

"The first one was when I was in the library with Fred and George. I thought someone sent it as a joke, maybe a Slytherin or something because they don't like me very much," When no one said anything I continued. 'I got the second one in the girl's bathroom when we were all in the Three Broomsticks today," Fred and George glanced at me accusingly for a second, not having know that I had gotten the note then. "And I got the third one just ten minutes ago. In my dorm, I…I thought I was alone. After I had changed for bed, I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth. When I came back the note was on my bed,"

"Very well,' Dumbledore said in a serious tone, looking to be deep in thought. "We'll get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. But for now I do not suggest you stay in your dorm room, nor ever be alone until we figure out who is behind this,"

"But where will I sleep? And what about the other girls?" I asked thinking about Angelina in bed right now in the dorm where that monster had watched me undress. I cringed noticeably and George began to rub comforting circles on the back of my hand with his thumb.

"You'll stay in the boy's dorm with us, of course," Fred countered. It looked like if anyone apposed his suggestion they would be the very first one to be hit.

"Whoever sent you these notes seem to interested in you alone. I believe the other girls will be perfectly unharmed in staying there. I believe that Mr. Weasley has the right idea, however I will deny that I ever said that if asked, and pretend that I don't remember," Dumbledore proclaimed, looking very sure of his decision.

"Now, if that is all. I suggest you all get back to bed and not to linger in the hallways on the way back," He added on, looking wary still.

We agreed that sleep would be the best thing right now, even though I knew that I wouldn't be able to sleep even if I tried. My mind was racing in every direction possible trying to figure out who was behind all this and how someone could have been in the room without me seeing them. The walk back to Gryffindor Tower seemed very short, and before I knew it we were all in the boy's sixth year dormitory.

The twins shared the room with Lee Jordan and three other boys, all of them were fast asleep and didn't notice us come in. Renae refused to go back to the girl's dorm and leave me alone, even if she knew I would perfectly safe with Fred and George. Even though we both protested, the boys insisted on us staying in their beds while they slept on the floor. Seeing that arguing with them would be useless, we finally caved and agreed to stay in their beds.

George transfigured the clock on the wall into a cot and placed it directly next to his bed, where I was supposed to be sleeping. I was still preoccupied with fear, but somehow I still managed to feel butterflies in my stomach when George looked at me.

I pulled the blankets around me, remembering how little I was wearing. And as silly as it sounded it made me feel better, like when we were children and believed that the monster in the closet was out to get you. If you pulled the blankets over your head, he couldn't get you. I was feeling the same way, and I wished that it would be enough to just hide under my blankets.

I felt something touch my hand under the covers and for a second I froze, thinking that somehow the monster had found its way to my hiding spot. But when I saw it was only George's hand I took it without thinking. Then the impossible happened. My mind was driving itself crazy asking questions, but somehow the combination of the warm blankets, exhaustion and George's warm hand resting in mine, I feel into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	7. The One with the Forbidden Forest

The next day…was interesting. I woke up excessively early for how tired I was, before anyone else. Momentarily, upon waking up, I panicked, not remembering where I was only what happened last night with the third note. However, looking beside me, I saw something that eased my mind right away; George was sleeping peacefully, his hand still intertwined with mine. I glanced at the wall, but then remembered that George had transfigured the clock handing on the wall into a cot. Outside was dark with seething storm clouds, and the rain was coming down so hard I couldn't see anything.

I closed my eyes once again and did the best I could to fall back asleep. That turned out to be hopeless, though, with my mind fluttering between a million thoughts at once. The main was only a dream. I knew this because George was in it, and we were much older. However, our position mirrored the one we were currently in. Lying next to each other, holding hands, sleeping peacefully. That's all we were doing, just sleeping, nothing else. It was still perfect, and all I could ask for. We were in a house unfamiliar to me, but somehow I knew it was _our _house, George and mine.

I wasn't surprised by this dream; I had ones like them all the time. Simple dreams where the only focus was George and I together. I knew that in these dreams were the only place that that could happen. But the dream soon strayed to the other side of the norm, something I've never seen before. Slowly, I rose from the bed without waking up George. It was raining in the dream, just like it was tonight, and I shivered as I tiptoed across the wooden floor of the bedroom. I began to descend down the marble stairs, walking quickly because it was cold against my bare feet. The house was beautiful, but old-fashioned and oddly familiar. When I reached the bottom of the stair well, I opened the door and stepped out into the rain. It felt like glass against my skin, piercing it a thousand times like rain-dropped sized shards.

I was walking- stumbling really-through the grass, with the wind ripping at me and the downpour raping me of sight. That's when I first heard it. My name was being whispered repeatedly, almost blending in with the cacophony of the storm. It was eerie and ominous and I know I shouldn't be following it into the woods, which were equally as forlorn, but I couldn't help myself. My body had a mind of its own and it wouldn't let me turn around, as I desperately wanted to. They kept me on a steady path, which I was sure lead to nothing but disaster.

Shaking as I ambled on trembling legs, the voice got louder and I knew I was getting closer. Deeper and deeper I went until finally I was in the center of a clearing. Above me, braches from the surrounding trees intertwined with each other, blocking out most of the light. The clearing was more like a twisted circle the roots of the trees formed, with thick, black oak trees circling around it. It was only then I became aware of how exposed I was, to both the elements and to whatever may be hiding in the shadows. I had a sudden feeling that there was something hiding, something waiting to jump out and devour me whole…

"Hello? Is there anyway out there?" I questioned the night with a voice that wavered, self-doubting.

I should have stayed quiet, I should have ran out of the woods as fast as my legs would allow. But I didn't do either of the smart things to do, instead I stood there. I stood in the middle of the clearing, in full sight of anything that might be out there, totally and utterly exposed. I didn't even have my wand on me. I felt so naked, so vulnerable.

A sinister laugh broke the silence. My head snapped to the left, looking for the source of the sound. I was about to run, my body was ready to spring into action and move as fast as possible to get out of here. I wanted to be back in bed with George, out of the rain and out of this forest.

"I don't think so, mud blood," He growled from the bushes. "_Immobulus_,"

And just like that, I was frozen. His spell rendered me defenseless. I couldn't move, not even to blink. Slowly, a figured emerged from the shadows, a massive figure in a black cloak. He approached me still laughing menacingly.

"So we meet, at last, Andrella," His voice was rough and held a deep malignant undertone. He moved behind me so I couldn't see him anymore. If I could still move, I would be a mass of quivering jelly on the forest floor.

"How does it feel to know death is so near?" He asked, his tone sadistic. He was directly behind me now, I could feel the heat radiating from his body, and his breathe sticky and foul on my neck.

Reaching around my back, large, dirty fingers moved over the exposed skin on my stomach. At an agonizingly slow pace, they inched further and further under my thin cotton camisole. I felt so violated as his fingers raved my body with me being able to do anything about it.

"You smell delicious, for a mud blood. I can't wait to sink my teeth into you…" He whispered, making my skin crawl. Pain shot me through instantly, as he dug his sharp fingernails into my stomach. Glancing down, I saw my blood begin to turn my top bright crimson.

Without warning, I was knocked off my feet and straight back into the unforgiving hard surface of an oak tree. Ropes sprang out of nowhere and began to bind me against the trunk. The spell rendering me motionless was no longer in effect, but it made no difference because of the restriction from the ropes. I thrashed my head around hopelessly, dying to find an escape where there wasn't one.

"Who are you?" I shouted at the cloaked figure coming toward me once more. My abdomen was flaming red hot with pain, and I was doing my very best not to let it consume me.

"That isn't important. The only thing you need to know is that I was sent here to kill you. Boss said doesn't care how, just as long as it's painful," He smirked, and I could see his teeth in the moonlight. They were sharp and dirty, and I knew that if I did not find a way out of this, they would be the death of me.

"Who sent you? Why are you here! Why won't you just leave me alone!" I demanded, my voice shrill with terror. It seemed that this all was on a much deeper level than I ever imagined.

"You ask too many questions, little girl. Mud bloods should learn to be silent, mud bloods should learn their place. Six feet underground," He snarled, coming closer.

I could see the outline of his face now. It was all hard lines. He was hairy and dirty, and his pointed teeth were bright yellow with grime. His hands were one me again, but not invasively or tauntingly. He was gripping me with so much force I knew that I'd have bruises in the shape of his hand print. His fist hit the side of my cheek with full force and I tasted blood. He continued to hit me, and cut into my skin with his razor-sharp nails. I felt blood gushing down my body at various places as I began to feel light-headed. My eyes were closing on their own accord, and I knew it wouldn't be long until I blacked out.

In one last frantic attempt, I called out for help silently. "_George, Fred…please, please help me. He's here, he has me…I can't…I don't know…just please, help me…"_

The last thing I remembered before all was lost in a sea of muggy shadows was the hooded man yelling out "_Crucio_!" and a million flaming knives being pushed into my skin mercilessly.

George's POV.

"_George, Fred…please, please help me. He's here, he has me…I can't…I don't know…just please, help me…" _Drella's voice begged quietly. She sounded so far away, like she wasn't right by my side. I thought it was a dream at first, just my imagination, but then I felt around beside me. All I felt were sheets, cold sheets. My eyes opened immediately, alarmed. She wasn't there. She wasn't sleeping peacefully next to me where I left her.

Sitting up, I saw Fred do the same directly across from me. Our eyes locked in one of those connected ways we do so often. We knew that something wasn't right, and that we both heard Drella calling for help. As quietly as possible, we both pulled on clothes and exited the room, careful not to wake anyone up. We knew all the places to step around in order to avoid making a loud creaking noise that would surely wake up Kennedy.

But at the moment, neither of us were being careful. I was too rushed, my insides twisted in anger and fear. Whoever was threatening Drella-stalking her-had her. We had no idea where she was or how she even left without anyone noticing. Fred and I placed protective enchantments on all the entrances. I should have heard a loud distinct ringing my ear the second she opened the door. I have no idea how she managed to sneak out without breaking the charm, or how she even knew that it was there to disarm it.

The corridors were deserted, yet all too familiar to my brother and I in it's abandoned stated. We were practically running down the stairs, immensely thankful that they didn't decide to change course when we needed them so badly to stay on track. Turning the corner hastily, we didn't notice the stern-looking cat hidden in the shadows. A second later and McGonagall stood before us, with a warning look in her eyes as if to say that our excuse better be a good one.

"_Do _explain yourselves, please," She ordered, her noise pointed upward in a way that lacked haughtiness but exuded authority.

"Andrella is in trouble. We heard her…we don't know where she is. She said that he has her, the person who was stalking her," I explained, hating the fact time was wasting away. So much time had passed by, and still we had no clue where she was. What could possibly be happening that we don't know about, what could he be doing to her….

"Very well. In that case, follow me. We'll go to Professor Dumbledore together," She insisted. Turning, she lead us quickly down the path to the headmaster's office.

But I couldn't think beyond my last thought, despite the fact that we were heading to wake up Drella's greatest chance. All I could think about was how Drella was with that lunatic, where he could be doing what he wanted. He could be hurting her right now, making her feel pain that no one as perfect as her should feel. And the darkest cloud on the horizon was the worse to think about. The other possibility of what he was doing to her…against her will…

"Minerva?" Dumbledore mumbled, obviously confused at yet other late night visit. He looked past McGonagall to see us one again. "Come in, come in," He added gravely, stepping out of the way of the doorway to allow us to enter.

"It's Andrella. I cast those protected spells you told me to, and she still got out somehow. She sent Fred and me a message asking us for help. He has her," I explained, my fists clenching with an undeniable rage.

"Sent you a message?" Dumbledore questioned, looking at us intensely.

"Yes, I haven't a clue as to how she did it, but she sent a message to George and me. It was as if she was a voice in my head. But she sounded so distant at the same time," Fred explained, anxiously. I could tell that he was on the same page as I am. Wondering what the hell we were still doing here, and why we weren't out searching for Andrella instead.

"Did you hear anything besides her voice? Any indication as to her location?" asked Dumbledore, who seemed to find no oddity in her communicating with us telepathically.

"No…wait. Yes, there was something. You could hear the rain and the sounds of trees being blown in the wind," I recalled, thinking about it as hard as I could, trying to remember anything that might help.

"The Forbidden Forest. I believe that in the heart of the Forbidden Forest-at the deepest part-we will find Andrella," Dumbledore concluded, finally standing. He rose his hand a broomstick flew into it, without seeming to have a source. "You'll agree that it is better than walking, correct?"

We both nodded our heads, flying was much more time efficient. Unsurely, Fred and I did the same and our Clean Sweeps bashed against our palms. I was half-ready to fly straight through the window from Dumbledore's office, but Dumbledore began leading us out of his office and toward the main entrance.

"Surely you aren't allowing them to come with us," McGonagall explained in shock as we exited Hogwarts, immediately doused with the heavy rainfall.

"Even if I did not allow them to follow along, you know that they'd sneak out moments after I banned them," Dumbledore sighed, mounting his broom. The three of us followed his example and within seconds, we were zooming across the grounds toward the ominous forest edge.

The higher we went, the larger the forest grew. It seemed to stretch on forever, and I couldn't be more thankful of the time the brooms were saving us. I had no idea how Dumbledore knew that Drella was somewhere hidden in its gloomy depths, but I knew that he was right. I could almost feel us coming closer to her every second. Along with the sense of nearing was a stab of pain, a pain signaling we were too late. But onward I pushed, fighting against that last thought.

Finally, after what seemed to be hours no matter how fast we were actually going, we approached the heart of the forest. We were as silent as possible while lowering down to peer into the darkness. Blindly, we searched for her. At last, Fred had spotted two figures standing alone in a clearing, one looming over the other.

I wasn't even thinking straight as I lunged straight into the clearing, able to see Andrella's head of pale blond hair from under a much larger figure. I should have listened to Fred calling my name, calling me back so we could form a plan. But I couldn't. All I could hear was Drella's voice begging for help, and see that man over her, doing whatever he wanted…

I was gone in another rage of fury, as I dove even deeper and extracted my wand from my robes. Without thinking, I began shouting curses and spells and anything else I could think of to possibly stop him. I was out of range and none of them hit the intended target, my aim effected by my anger. But I gave up the most crucial element of all, the element of surprise. The man snapped his head upward in my direct, his face and arms stained with blood. He was savage looking, all teeth and hair. In a second, he was gone with a loud _crack. _

I couldn't even feel stupid for letting him get away; all I could think about was that I could see Andrella in full now. Her pajamas hung off her in torn scarps of fabric, and her tiny body was drowning in crimson from a plethora of cuts and scratches. I threw my broom aside and kneeled in the mud beside her, cradling her head in my lap. She looked so weak and pale, so unlike the lively girl I saw everyday with a smile on her face. It caused me physical pain to look at her like this, with all this blood falling out of her without there being anything I could do to stop it.

"Minerva, send a patronus to Madam Pomfrey and let her know that we will be transporting a patient in critical condition within five minutes," Dumbledore's tone was serious yet controlled. He knelt down beside me and began muttered spells I didn't understand. The bleeding seemed to slow down marginally, but it would make all the difference.

"George, I want you to take her on your broomstick. Hold her extra carefully, and mind her injuries. Fly her as fast as you can safely to the Infirmary. I give you permission to fly in the halls," Dumbledore directed. For a blank second I just stared at him. 'Now, George, go,"

I bundled Andrella in my arms, holding her firmly to my chest. I didn't care that my clothes were now stained with her blood; all I cared about was getting to Madam Pomfrey so she should bring her back to me. It was difficult to fly very fast while having to support her so much, but not impossible. I was still soaring through the air with alarming speed, and determination.

Losing Andrella was something I couldn't bare to have happen. I…care about her so much, and for so long. She's my best friend, the only person besides Fred that knew me better than I knew myself, and she didn't have the advantage of being my twin. I love her, I know that much. Not like a sister exactly, but something stronger than friendship. I can't really explain it; all I know is that losing her would be like losing the best part of me.

I shuddered, remembering the sick freak that did this to her was still out there. But what worried me most was not what might come in the future, but the present. Everything was happening so fast, without any real order or reason. Just…so fast. And she was losing so much blood, her wounds look so deep. I pressed my finger into the side of her jugular, scratched and bruised. My heart raced fast than it ever has before when I felt hers not beating at all…


	8. The One With the Ismerete

_I was home. No, I wasn't in my parent's two-story house in Sheffield, but I knew that I was still home. Around me, the air was thick with fog that smelled like cherry blossoms. It was so dense I couldn't even see my own hand as I groped around to find my way. There was music playing from somewhere, soft and familiar. I walked slowly, unsure of myself, toward the music. I knew I was heading in the right direction when the fog began to thin. There was a woman sitting in a chair with her hands folded on her lap. Across from her sat an empty chair which I decided was meant for me._

_I sat down on the chair, and looked at the woman with curiosity. She was rather beautiful, with flowing hair of the palest gold. Her eyes were emeralds full of knowledge, and her smile was warm and open. She studied me as well, with a sense of approval. Finally, she began to talk._

"_Oh, Andrella. So long have I dreamt of you joining me, but never did I want it to be this soon," She mused sadly. She spoke like she knew me, and for some reason I thought she might. I searched my memory for her face, but I didn't remember ever seeing her before. _

"_Join you? Where?" I asked, looking around again at the strange atmosphere of warm fog._

"_In the land beyond the living, beyond the dead. The homeland of the Ismerete," she explained, though none of it made sense._

"_The Ismerete? What is that?" I was confused. None of that made sense, I never learned about any one named Ismerete._

"_Not what, child, but whom. The Ismerete are the knowing. They are a different breed of wizards and witches, beyond the normal. There are no boundaries for the Ismerete, only how far they allow themselves to go" Her voice was barely a whisper. Everything was beginning to fade around the edges. I heard familiar voices in the distance._

"_Who are you?" My voice was trembling for a reason unknown to me._

"_It seems I was mistaken, my dearest Andrella. Right now it not your time. We will meet again," the strange lady promised as she disappeared from my sight completely. The voices grew louder and louder until finally…_

"George, it's been two weeks. You need to get some fresh air. I'm sure she won't mind-" I could hear someone trying to reason with George. I was just barely awake, my eyes still closed.

"Sure she won't mind waking up and finding no one here?" George retorted, his tone sour.

"I'll stay with her so she won't be alone," Renae offered softly.

"No, I want to be here when she wakes up," He sighed.

"You've been spending all your time here, mate. Just watching her and keeping away from everyone. It's becoming unhealthy," Fred tried to reason.

"You don't…you don't understand. I can't leave her. I almost lost her once, and I can't do it again."

There was an awkward silence in the air, and I decided to break it. With great effort, I managed to open my eyes. The very first thing I saw was a head of flaming red hair and a smile bright enough to match the sun. I was engulfed in a hug so powerful, I couldn't breathe. But it felt amazing, being this close to George. I felt so warm and safe.

"Hey there…" I mumbled, not really sure what to say. Everyone was just staring at me in awe, waiting for me to say something. And I all I could think of was 'Hey there'. I really can be socially awkward at times.

"Drella! I can't believe you're finally awake! I thought I lost you, we all did," George beamed, looking happier than I ever remembered seeing him.

"Yeah, AndI. You really scared us there," Fred smiled, giving me a hug as soon as his brother let go.

"I missed you so much, AndI. Our dorm has been really boring without you," Renae joked, hugging me after Fred.

"Has it really been two weeks?" I questioned meekly, trying desperately to figure out how so much time has passed.

"It has. But don't worry about that, how are you feeling?" George was quick to ask, still smiling uncontrollably. His hand gripped mine in a reassuring way.

"Alright, a little out of the loop. What's happened? What did I miss?" I answered honestly.

"All the blood loss you suffered from the attack put you into a temporary comma," Renae explained with a shudder, her face disgusted as she thought about what happened.

"You didn't miss very much. Harry and Ron come to visit you every other day. Separately, of course, seeing as they're still not talking to each other. Hermione and Ginny stopped by a few times. Almost every Gryffindor sixth year came at least once. Even my mum and dad came. They love you more than George and I, you see," Fred informed me. I felt a rush of affection for everyone he mentioned. I couldn't believe so many people came, I didn't think I was that important to them.

"And of course, George barely left your side this entire time. He stops by after every class, after eating, and he sneaks back after visiting hours are over. It's kind of cute, really" Fred teased. George hit his twin, but didn't let my hand go. I smiled at him, my heart beating a little faster knowing that he stayed with me this entire time.

"Thank you," I whispered, feeling the heat rush to my cheeks.

Before he could respond, Mrs. Pomfrey walked in. " Ah! Miss Wendling! Awake, at last. Why don't you three go alert Professor Dumbledore, he wanted to talk to Andrella once she woke up," George glared at her once she suggested he leave. With a sigh, she adjusted her previous statement. "Fine then, you may stay Mr. Weasley,"

Fred and Renae waved to me as they left. George was smiling once again now that he has permission to stay. I didn't say anything at first, simply because I didn't know what there was to say. I wanted to ask so much, but I didn't ever want to think about that terrible night again. But I knew that I would have to, if I ever wanted it to stop.

"George?" I asked cautiously, not sure how to approach this question.

"Yeah, Drells?" He looked at me curiously.

"What…what happened that night? I can't remember anything but having this really terrible nightmare. Was that real?" My voice was barely a whisper.

"Yes, it was real," George paused, searching for the right words. "Fred and I heard your voice in our heads…asking us to come find you, to help you. We went to Dumbledore and we flew on broomsticks over the Forbidden Forest. When I saw you and that man in the clearing-forgive me, Andrella-but I wasn't thinking clearly. I didn't wait to think of a plan, all I could think of was getting you away from him. He got away, and then I brought you here. You've been comatose since then,"

"Did you find out who it was?" I questioned, his horrible face flashing through my mind. All I could see was him staring at me with such hatred, such hunger. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, trying my hardest to erase his face from my mind. I never wanted to see it again, it was so nauseating to me, such a terrible reminder of something I never wanted to think about again.

"No," George mumbled dejectedly.

"Thank you," I made sure to catch his eye so he could tell I was being sincere.

"For what?"

"For saving me," I replied, and I noticed how we were both leaning in toward each other ever so slightly. But even though he was so close, he was still so far away.

"It was nothing, Drella. I'm just glad you made it. I don't know what I would have done if you didn't. There was so much blood, and I could have swore I felt your heart stop…" He cut himself off, and I noticed his eyes drop for a second.

"But I'm okay. I _did_ make it. And it's all because of you," I knew I was blushing, but I didn't care. It needed to be said. Normally, we don't talk feelings. It's all just good times and laughs, but not right now. I needed to let him know how grateful I was.

"Drella, I have to tell you something. It's been on my mind for two weeks straight now. I really need to tell you before I loose the courage," George took a deep breathe as to prepare himself for whatever it was he was about to say. "I-"

He was cut off immediately by Professor Dumbledore. "Miss Wendling. How wonderful it is to see you awake. Mr. Weasley, a moment please,"

George looked between Dumbledore and myself, but finally he let go of my hand and walked out of the infirmary sulkily.

"I'm delighted to see you awake, Andrella. How are you feeling?" Dumbledore questioned as he took the seat George previously occupied.

"Better, a little tired, though," I answered, wondering why Dumbledore would be here. He didn't normally visit students when they were in the infirmary. He didn't visit me when I broke every bone in my body my third year from a Quidditch accident.

"Good. Now, I have a question for you, Miss Wendling," He paused, as if to contemplate whether he should ask his question or not. "What do you know about the Ismerete?"

"The Ismerete?" I asked, not familiar with the name at first. Then thinking about it, I remembered my strange dream. "H-how did you know?"

"Madam Pomfrey informed me that you've said the name a few times while still asleep," Dumbledore explained. "I need you to tell me everything you remember about them, everything you've ever heard. It's very important,"

I told Dumbledore about the dream, all the while his face grew paler and paler. I started getting nervous, worried. What were the Ismerete? Why was I having dreams about them? I thought it was nothing, but why would Dumbledore ask me questions about a made up thing in my dreams?

"What does that mean? Who are they?" I questioned frantically.

"I'm not going to lie to you Andrella, even though I know I shouldn't be the one to tell you," Dumbledore sighed warily. "Everything you told me is true, and that dream you had wasn't actually a dream. After the attack, after all the trauma, you proceeded into the world beyond the living. For most people, that is the afterworld. But for you, that was the land of the Ismerete. A land that is beyond the living but not for the dead,"

"What does that mean?" I whispered, looking at him in almost fear of what he would say next.

"The Ismerete are a race of wizards that when they have lived on earth for their amount of time, they go to the land of the Ismerete. Once there, they become all knowing. They know the past, present and future of every single person in existence. They monitor earth and interfere only when necessary. From my very limited understanding, it is a very peaceful thing," Dumbledore said quietly.

"Are you saying that I'm one of them? How is that even possible? My mother and father lawyers," I insisted, not processing what he was saying, what it meant.

"As I said Miss Wendling, I'm not the proper person to be telling you this. But in light of recent events, I believe you should be presented with all the information available. Melinda and Donald Wendling, although your legal parents and guardians, are not your birth parents. Your birth parents are currently unknown. However due to all that you've told me, I believe your mother is the woman you saw in your dream. One of the Ismerete," Dumbledore informed me.

"No, that's not possible. They've raised me since I was a little girl, they're my parents," I protested weakly, not able to believe anything he was telling me. He was trying to tell me everything I knew to be my life, was false. I couldn't comprehend it, I didn't want to.

Dumbledore didn't say anything more, he just looked at me with a look of pity. I knew he was telling the truth then, but I still didn't want to believe it. Everything I knew about where I came from was shattered. My mother and father, my grand parents, even my last name. I didn't know any of those anymore. Where I came from, nothing. It was all just guess work based on a dream I had in an unconscious state.

"How long have you known?" I muttered, feeling weaker by the second.

"That you were adopted? Since birth. You were dropped off on the steps of Hogwarts sixteen years ago on October 31. The times were dark then, Voldemort still on the rise. We knew you were magical, or at least came from magical parents if you were left at Hogwarts. We decided that it was best to leave you in the protection of a muggle family. We left you in the care of a Muggle orphanage in London, and watched after you until you were given a home. We watched Melinda and Donald until we were sure you would be safe with them. You got your acceptance letter the year you turned eleven, and you know the rest. We had been watching out for you the entire time, making sure you were alright in your new home for we didn't know the reason you were given to us. We still don't know," said Dumbledore, calmly.

"My parents…I mean Melinda and Donald, they don't know either?"

"I'm afraid not, Andrella," Dumbledore sighed.

"I-I don't know what to think, much less what to say. I don't even know how this is possible. It's like I don't know anything about myself anymore. I just need to know. Can I talk to them? My parents, or at least the people who raised me?" I asked, knowing that the only way I would start to be alright with this (if that was even possible) was to talk to Melinda and Donald. I needed answers and I knew that was the place to start.

"I image that can be arranged," Dumbledore said quietly, with understanding clear in his voice.

"But not for today, I just want to sleep. I can't handle anything else at the moment," I groaned, laying back down, feeling ready to collapse.

"Understandable, Miss Wendling. Would you like me to send Mr. Weasley back in?"

"Yes, please," I nodded my head, knowing that the second I saw George, I would feel better. I'm not saying that everything would be alright once he was here with me, because it wouldn't. I just knew that the only way I would be able to deal with this is with him here with me. I don't think he knows how strong he makes me, just how much he helps me.

I closed my eyes once Dumbledore left the room, feeling exhausted with the weight of all this information thrust upon me. I was almost asleep when I felt a hand grip mine lightly. I didn't open my eyes or say anything, but I felt the corners of my mouth lift up to form a smile. I knew that I'd be able to get through this, as long as I had my friends to rely on.


	9. The One with Drella's Parents

"Are you scared, Drella?" George asked softly, fiddling with his hands in his lap like he does when he's nervous.

I didn't say anything for a couple of seconds, really thinking about the question. Was I scared of facing the people I believed to be my parents up until last night? No, not really. They were still mom and dad to me in my heart. But I did have some disease about the whole situation. How would this conversation go? How could it possibly end well? I didn't know the answers to these questions and that was the only thing that scared me, not actually seeing them.

"Only of what comes after," I replied truthfully. After I talk to them, after they confirm the truth, what would happen next? My mother-if she was actually my mother like Dumbledore assumed-was in a land beyond the living. My father was still unknown, and I had a feeling the only person who knew his identity was my mother.

"Well, no matter what happens. You'll always have us," Fred reassured me happily. George nodded in agreement.

"I thought you were supposed to be here to comfort me," I retorted with a playful smile.

"You wound me," Fred scowled.

I rolled my eyes at him, but smiled regardless. I was glad Fred was here to lighten the mood; these serious matters were beginning to bore me. Fred and George were here on their free period, making sure I was alright. My parents were supposed to arrive at two and it was currently 1:50. Renae was in Astronomy lessons until 2:30, but she wished me luck before she left.

"I'm sure it will be fine, Drells," George added, quietly. He's been doing that a lot lately. Talking less, not making many jokes, seeming drawn back. To anyone who wasn't one of his best friends, the change would be unnoticeable. However, I knew right away that something was wrong, different. Ever since the incident, I noted that George seemed more serious than usual, like he always had something important on his mind.

But I had more pressing matters to think about than why George was acting strangely. At that moment, Dumbledore and Mrs. Pomfrey appeared from around the curtain, giving me privacy from the others in the infirmary.

"Miss Wendling, your parents are here to see you," Dumbledore said cautiously, not sure how I would react. I wasn't even sure how I should react, so I simply shook my head and glanced over at the twins.

"See you later, AndI," Fred grinned, punching my shoulder in an encouraging way. I shook my head at the childish behavior I've grown to expect from him, but smiled nonetheless.

"Bye, Drella," George mumbled, following his brother out of my makeshift living space. I noticed him glancing back at me from the corner of his eye. There was something there, some emotion hidden deep down inside that I couldn't quite decipher. Whatever it was gave me butterflies. I'm still not sure if that's good or bad.

A second or two after they were gone, my parents came in. I always noticed we looked different, but I just thought it was because a few genes skipped their generation. Now I realized how different we really were. My skin was a bit paler than theirs, even though I spent hours in the sun. My hair was the palest shade of blonde, while they both had dark auburn hair. My eyes were bright green, my mother's were blue and my father's were brown. I was much taller than my mother, and only shorter than my father by a few inches. My cheek bones were higher than both of theirs, my face more narrow.

"Hi mom, dad," I mumbled, feeling awkward and out of place even though we were at Hogwarts, and they were the two muggles. I didn't even know muggles could get into Hogwarts. I guess that didn't matter though, because there they were, standing in front of me with nervous smiles.

"Oh, Andrella! I'm sorry we didn't tell you. We were going to, we just didn't know how to! Promise you don't hate us, baby. We still love you, you're still our daughter. Maybe not biologically, but you're still ours," My mom sobbed, coming around the bedside and pulling me into a desperate hug.

I was stunned silent for a second. My mother, although a very kind and loving woman, was never so straightforward with her emotions. She was a calm, cool, and collected lawyer with an amazing poker face. I've only seen her get this emotional a very few times, and they were all serious matters. Then again, I guess finding out I was adopted is a serious matter.

"I don't hate you, mom. I could never hate you, you're my parents. It's just…a lot to take in, you know?" I sighed, looking up at my dad for the first time. He had an apologetic smile on his face, never one for words. I smiled at him, too. I really did still love them and think of them as my true parents, it was just a lot to take after everything that happened.

"What happened? Professor Dumbledore only said that there was an incident where you had been attacked and that you knew who your real mother was," My mom asked, sitting down in the chair George had occupied since I had first been put in here.

I told them the story, leaving out the part where he saw me changing for my father's sanity. I hated how they looked so horrified and disgusted, when I was finished. For the first time in my life, I wish that I had a normal life, just to save my parents some pain.

My mom continued to hug me, and my dad's hand rested firmly on my shoulder. I let them, not knowing what else to say. What else could I say? There really wasn't a way to make this sound any better, if George hadn't acted at the exact second he did, I would be dead.

"You said something about your…mother. What does it mean, that you saw her?" My dad questioned, looking more serious than he usually did.

"Professor Dumbledore believes that since she is one of the Ismerete-someone in the land beyond the living that is all knowing-I died for a moment and she was there to welcome me," I explained calmly, knowing that telling my parents that I technically died wouldn't yield smiles.

"I have mind to just bring you home right now and never let you outside again," My mother exclaimed, but before I could protest, she continued. "But I know that you belong here, with people who have more advanced ways of keeping you safe than we do. We just want you to be safe,"

"I know, mom. The safest place for me to be right now is under the protection of the greatest wizard to date," I assured her, weakly. I was exceptionally tired today, weird dreams keeping me awake. It was just me, running through a endless mass of clouds.

"You're too kind, Miss Wendling," Dumbledore mused, entering the small place I've called mine for the past two weeks. "Hello again, Mr. and Mrs. Wendling. Can we persuade you to stay for dinner?"

"No, we really must be going, Professor. Thank you for allowing us to come today to see our daughter. There are many things we don't understand about your world, but we trust we are leaving her in good hands?" My father smiled kindly at the headmaster. I knew my parents felt out-of-place here and were probably very anxious to return to a more comfortable place for them.

"I'd like to think so," Dumbledore replied.

"Then we really must be going," My dad answered with a slight nod of appreciation in the headmaster's direction.

"Of course, I'll escort you back," Dumbledore offered. Turning to me, he added, "I believe Mr. Weasley is getting anxious to see you,"

I blushed lightly when I saw that George was standing just beyond the curtain. Oh wonderful, now they have a chance to embarrass me in front of him. In my mind, I quickly went over all the things that my parents knew that I'd rather die than have revealed to George. I figured that if they talked for more than two minutes, I would be taking a stroll into the black lake this afternoon.

"Uh, hi, Mr. and Mrs. Wendling. I'm George Weasley," George introduced himself awkwardly once everyone realized he was standing there.

"Ah, yes. We've heard a lot about you through the years. Pleasure to meet you," My dad smiled at him, extending his hand which he took sheepishly. It was very clear to me that my dad was observing him carefully. My mom glanced at me and him back and forth with a weird smile on her face that I'm not sure I even wanted to know the reason behind it.

"Only good things I hope," George laughed lightly, seemingly to regain his confidence.

"George, they said they heard a lot about you. If it was good things, they wouldn't know you existed," I retorted.

"Honestly, why am I even your friend, Drella?" George scoffed at my remark.

"Drella?" My mom raised her eyebrow at me. I flat out refused to let anyone call me that, even as a little girl. I knew my mom was curious as to why I let him call me that and still live.

"It's nothing, mom. Didn't you say that you needed to leave or something?" I insisted. It's not that I didn't like seeing my parents, I just didn't like how high the possibility of them embarrassing me was.

"Yes, Melinda. We really must be getting home," My dad helped me out. That was the good thing about my dad, he was always in tune to my emotions. It was pretty obvious that I wanted them to leave, and he must have picked up on that.

I said goodbye to my mother and father before they left with Dumbledore. I was very happy to be alone with George, and finally relax. I had been on pins and needles all day about their visit. Everything went better than expected. Yet, I still had so many unanswered questions I was afraid no one could help me with.

"So, when do I get to get out of here? I'm tired of just sitting around doing nothing," I complained.

"Mrs. Pomfrey said you can leave now actually, that's why I came back," he said happily, that goofy smile on his face again.

"Are you serious?" I asked, not able to fight my smile. I was so excited to just get up out of bed, and actually DO something. I hated being stuck here. I missed seeing all my friends. I missed pulling random pranks whenever I felt like it. I missed learning new spells. I even missed potions class. "Then let's gooooo," I squealed like a little girl. I didn't even care if I sounded childish, I was the happiest I've been in days.

I pushed the sheets off of my legs, and stood up. Way too fast, apparently because my legs gave out the second I put my full weight on them. On the way down, in attempt to grab something in order to balance myself I reached out for the thing closest to me. That thing turned out to be George, and I ended up pulling him right down with me. I'm not sure if I was more embarrassed by the fact that I fell and pulled him down, or that he was now laying directly on top of me.

I knew I should say something like sorry and then suavely try to get up and save what little dignity I had left, but no words would come, my entire body was paralyzed. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks, while those damned butterflies in my stomach went into a frenzy. How many times had I fantasized being in a position identical to this with him? I couldn't help myself, I was completely memorized just by his proximity at the moment and that glint of something oh so familiar in his memorizing brown eyes.

I don't even know how the next thing happened, if it even did. Maybe my imagination and desperate desire were playing tricks on me, but it seemed too real for that. The look in his eyes, how intently he was just staring at me, devoid of his usually joking and care free exterior, I knew that I couldn't have imagined it. The way I could have sworn that he was leaning down to kiss me, I couldn't imagine the emotion in his eyes even in my most vivid day dreams.

But then, and I swear these sort of things only happen to me, Renae came around the corner of the curtain.

Gawkily, George jumped up and offered me his hand. I took it just as feeling just as awkward, but still uneasy on my feet. I noticed that George was scratching the back of his neck, a nervous habit of his. I knew I was still blushing, I just prayed it wasn't as noticeable as it felt. Renae looked like a deer caught in headlights, blinking back and forth before George and I.

"Oh, hi, Renae. We were just, I just-"I floundered, not being able to think of any sort of excuse. Honestly, how the hell have I gone six years without getting in a ton of trouble. I was quite terrible at making up lies and cover stories on the spot, most of the time.

"She just fell and knocked me over. Bloody idiot thinks she'll be perfectly fine to walk without having used her legs in two weeks," George laughed. That was another nervous habit of his, making jokes. Of course, not many people knew that, seeing as he _always _made jokes, not just when he was nervous.

"Uh, right. Silly me. Anyway, Pomfrey said I could leave today! So I was just gonna go get my clothes…" I mumbled, looking down at the flimsy nightgown I was wearing.

"Right, why don't you help her with that Renae? I'll be back in the common room, meet me there before dinner?" George directed the last bit at me, giving me a hopeful smile.

"Of course," I replied, confused as to why George even had to ask. I always sat with Fred and him at dinner, unless of course I was mad at him, and I certainly didn't have any reason to be mad at him.

George nodded his head before swiftly making his way out of the infirmary. I absent mindedly stared after him, coming back to reality when Renae cleared her throat. I turned my attention to her, glaring her when I remember what she could have possibly interrupted.

"What was all that about?" She questioned, her hands on her hips and her eyebrow raised in a quizzing way.

"I have no bloody idea, Renae! And I don't know because of you," I grumbled, walking very slowly over to the dresser where my uniform was folded neatly.

"Geez, no need to get your knickers in a twist, AndI," She retorted, easily, closing the curtain completely before helping me out of my nightgown. She assisted me in the process of dressing, still a bit uneasy on my feet.

"Just stop talking and let's get out of here. I'd rather spend a week cleaning trophies with Filch than spend another night here in the hospital wing," I groaned, stepping into my shoes happily.

Finally, I was free. If only I knew that I would be seeing this place again way too soon for my liking, when I left it for the first time in weeks.


	10. The One With The Vision

I didn't particularly like Professor Trelawney, but I had to respect her. After all she taught my favorite class, and even though it's hidden behind her eccentric clothes and personality, she had talent and knowledge in what she taught. Divination had always fascinated me, for obvious reasons. For years and years, I would see events before they happened, but I always just wrote it off as extreme cases of Déjà vu. Now that I knew the truth and had a basis of understanding of why this happened to me, I respected the art of divination even more.

I was in her class right now with Renae all the way on top of the astronomy tower. Fred and George dropped the class long ago, having no trust or patience for the class or the teacher. The class was a small number of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, all seated around small tables in groups of three or four. In front of each person was a crystal ball, our medium to the future today. I didn't particularly like this way of predicting, but it was part of the curriculum. It never worked for me, even though I had an advantage, I saw the same as everyone else did when they looked into the glass material; Smokey air swirling around, revealing nothing.

"Everyone please turn to page 87 in your books and try to decipher the meaning behind what you see," Trelawney asked, overly inflecting as usual.

With a sigh and a glance toward Renae, I did what she said. I didn't hope to find anything useful in today's lesson, I usually never did. Renae didn't like the class very much, but it was an easy class and she didn't feel like working much in the mornings. However, she looked a bit more enthusiastic today, sharing my newly found out secret. Professor kept staring in my direction as well, curious as to what today would bring. Only two teachers were told about my secret, Professor McGonagall because she was the head of my house and Professor Trelawney, the resident expert of my special gifts.

I glared at the ball in front of me indignantly, wishing I could see something useful, or just anything at all. As I glared, I got more aggravated as time went by and nothing appeared. If I was a true Ismerete, shouldn't this come naturally to me, shouldn't I be seeing something besides random clouds of smoke swirling around each other insignificantly. I was growing more and more impatient, and was just about ready to just give up on it. That's when it happened.

All of a sudden, instead of the mundane classroom, boring and full of nothing by agitated seventh years, I was in a dream like state. Everything I saw was hazy around the edges, but still there. It was like seeing something through foggy glasses. It didn't seem real, yet it was regardless. It was dark and ominous, wherever I was. I couldn't tell exactly where, but it seemed like a field of dirt and grass, little gray stones were scattered about, in an eerily familiar pattern. I was running, I didn't know why or where to, but the look of determination and panic was clear on my features. I pushed onward and onward until I was a of a circle of dirt, a black undistinguishable _something_ was in the center of the ring, steam or smoke rising from it in think clouds.

It began to boil, what I was guessing to be an abnormally large pewter cauldron. And then, as fast as it began, liquid pour out of the sides and smoke engulfed the immediate area. A large, hooded black figured emerged from the smoke, there was a green light, and then nothing. It all went black, the very last thing I heard, piercing through the blackness without a recognizable source, was a devastating shout of anguish far off in the distance. _"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

My eyes snapped open and I nearly fell out of my chair I jumped so high from the shock of coming back into reality. My little premonition, or vision or whatever it was that just happened, could have been mistaken for me jolting awake after dozing off. However, the worried stares from Renae and the Professor told me they knew the truth.

"AndI, what happened? What did you see?" Renae hissed, her voice threaded with poorly concealed concern.

"I'm not quite sure, really. It didn't make much sense, to be honest," I shrugged, not knowing how to answer her question. What did happen? What did I just see? Did it mean anything? I doubt that it didn't. It had to have some sort of significance, what that was escaped me at the moment.

"Well, try to explain it if you can. If you couldn't tell, Andrella, I'm sort of freaking out here. That was really scary, you should have seen your eyes. They rolled back into your head and you just slumped down in the chair. You were like that for almost two minutes," Renae retorted. I knew that she wasn't actually angry at me despite what her tone suggested, she was just worried. The last time I had a vision, it turned out to be someone psychopath meddling around in my thoughts.

"I was just in this field, or something like that. There was a cauldron that started over boiling and then this hooded figure rose from it. And then that's it, it all went black and I heard someone screaming 'No!'" I admitted to her. I'm not sure why I left out the flash of green light, but something was telling me not to tell her.

"Oh, well that is odd. Do you think it was a vision or something?" She asked, genuinely intrigued.

"I don't know. Maybe. I think I'll go to Dumbledore after class and explain it to him, just to make certain," I said quietly, our private conversation was no longer so private. I could tell that others were listening to our conversation when they shouldn't be. Besides, there really was nothing more to say. I was completely in the dark about any deeper meanings this little episode possessed, if any.

I wasn't sure if I should be happy that my wish to see something other than swirling fog in a glass ball was granted or not. I wasn't sure what I saw meant, but I had a feeling it wasn't good. That scream, it was heartbreaking. It held so much terrible agony and sorrow; it was sickening to think to think about what unknown pain could cause a person so much torment.

I had a feeling, deep down inside my gut, that I would find out what could make a man scream with such fervor much too soon for my liking.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Drells, come on! We're gonna be late!" George whined, standing by the doorway out of the Gryffindor common room anxiously.

Fred, Ron, Hermione and Renae were already in the stands for the first task. I had to admit I was going much slower than usual today, but that's only because I couldn't find the jeans I wanted to wear today. They were all the way at the bottom of my suitcase, hiding from me.

"Don't pee your pants, Weasley. I'm ready," I laughed at his expression of relief I was finally at the bottom of the staircase, dressed and ready to go.

There was still a good forty minutes before the first task started, but George wanted to get there early so he could help Fred with taking bets. They still haven't gotten their money from the bet they made Bagman at the World Cup. So they were doing everything they could in order to raise back up the money they lost, due to Bagman's broken promise.

We were silent as we walked down the hallway. When one of the Weasley twins were silent, you knew something was wrong. The thing I hated the most is not that there was something wrong, but the fact that I didn't know what that something was. I considered George as one of my very best friends, and I thought the feeling was mutual. So then why is he keeping something from me? Once we were stuck waiting for the staircase to switch back to where we needed it to go, I decided that it was the most opportune time to ask just that.

"George, can I ask you something?" I looked up to him nervously. I wasn't sure why I was so nervous, really. It was just George. George, my best friend for six years. George, the only guy I've ever been in love with.

"Sure, Drella. What is it?" He smiled down at me with a carefree smile.

"Is there something you're not telling me? Or have I just imagined this awkwardness between us since I woke up?" I spat out, quickly. I had to say it fast and get it over with, or I knew that I wouldn't actually ask it.

"So you've noticed that, too?" He glanced at me with this guilty look on his face, his left hand reaching to scratch his neck instinctively.

"Of course I have, George! I come out from my coma and everything is just different with you! I mean, you're always around me but we never really talk anymore. There's always this awkwardness. You always start sentences and then just stop and say "never mind". And you're looking at me strangely, too. I just don't understand. What did I do?" I exploded, speaking way more than I had planned to.

"No, it's not…you'd didn't…" He started and then let out a deep sigh, closing his eyes. When he finally opened them again, he had this look of determination settled on his face. "It's nothing you did, Drella. It's me. This is my fault. I can't tell you why, not yet. I don't know…I just can't,"

"Well, you're going to have to. And soon. I miss how our friendship used to be. I miss how it use to be so free and easy, and now…there's just awkward silence and secrets," I exhaled, feeling like a weight was lifted from my chest.

"Alright, fine. Tonight, I'll tell you. Meet me at the entrance to the room of requirement at 11:00 pm. But for right now, we have to go meet Fred, we've kept him waiting long enough and he'll need our help," George nodded his head, just as the stairs moved back on our path.

The rest of the walk to the Quidditch pitch was silent, but not as awkward and tense as before. Hopefully whatever it was that was bothering him, would all be aired out tonight. Hopefully, it would all just go back to normal.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The first task was extraordinary, seeing all those dragons were amazing. I loved dragons, personally. They were such a beautiful, misunderstood race. However, that Hungarian horntail was down right nasty. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest with relief when Harry made it back after having that dragon chase him out of sight.

After the task, all Gryffindors rushed back to the common room where we all celebrated Harry's win. Finally, Ron and Harry settled their little argument to everyone's liking. Their fighting really was getting bothersome for anyone who was friends with the both of them. Now it was ten thirty and I was up in the sixth year girl's dormitory with Renae. I was pacing around like a bloody lunatic, racked with nerves and butterflies.

"AndI, would you just sit down already. Pacing around the room isn't going to make thirty minutes go by any faster," Renae giggled obnoxiously. She knew how excited I was for this, and scared as well. This could go either one of two ways; fixing everything or making it even more awkward than it already was. I was praying for the first.

"It's just…I don't know, Renae. What could he possibly have to tell me. It's probably something bad, right? That's why he was keeping it a secret for so long!" I exclaiming, throwing up my hands in an exaggerated way. For hours I've been through all the possible things he needed to tell me, each one more ridiculous than the last.

"Oh, I'm sure everything is fine. Maybe what he has to tell you is really good, you never know. And plus, this is George so stop worrying so much. You'll be back to being inseparable in no time," She assured me.

"But that's why I'm worrying, Renae! Because it is George! Oh no! What if he knows that I like him? What if Ron told him? What if I mumbled something while I was asleep?" I panicked, my eyes growing wide with horror.

"Stop, Andrella. Ron didn't tell him and you don't even talk in your sleep," She reasoned, placing her hands firmly on each shoulder. "Besides, it would probably be a good thing if he found out. How long have you been holding this in for?"

I glared at her foolishness. How could him knowing be a good thing? It would ruin everything!

"Oh, and AndI?" The smirk on her face widened.

"What?" I snapped.

"It's eleven," She laughed as I jumped up in a hurry, rushing out of the dorms.

I made my way to the room of requirement as swiftly and quiet as possible. I stood in front of the door that appeared out of no where when I turned down the hall quizzically. What would happen once I walked inside?

"I guess there is only one way to find out," I mumbled under my breathe, pushing the door wide open and then closing it once I was inside. My heart went into overdrive once I saw that smile lighting up his face, and I knew that it couldn't be all bad. Or at least I hoped that was the case.

I don't know if I could handle anymore bad news.


	11. The One With the Room of Requirement

"Andrella?" George asked quietly, breaking the silence.

After I had walked in, George ushered me to sit beside him on the couch. It was warm and cozy, directly in front of a fireplace, much like the Gryffindor common room. However, unlike the common room, it was silent and had a very serene feeling around it. It was dark, the only light coming from the bright flame. Everything was easy enough to make out, but it was all covered in shadows.

"Yes, George?" I replied, nervously. George seldom called me by my full name, only in serious situations.

"Do you remember that summer you spent at the Burrow? The summer before our fifth year?" His voice was still quiet. There was no trace of laughter or sarcasm, something very uncommon for one the Weasley twins.

"Of course," I answered instantly. How could I ever forget _that_ summer?

"Do you remember that one time when we were playing Quidditch, just the two of us?" If the room hadn't been dead silent, I might not have heard him. But I did; I was hanging on to every word he said, trying desperately to figure out what any of this had to do what was going on between us now.

"Because Fred and Ron were busy but we still wanted to play," I added, remembering every detail of that day. That was the day I first admitted to myself that I had feelings for George.

"Yeah," he smiled, staring at me with this weird expression on his face. "Do you remember what I said to you? I know we were a bit pissed by that point," he laughed lightly, his voice sounding as if he was deep in concentration.

Unlike George who had downed fire whiskey that night as if it was his oxygen supply, I had limited myself. That's why my memory wasn't affected by alcohol. I tried not to let myself get too out of hand when I drank around them, knowing that I had a tendency to spill my own secrets when I did so.

"You said a lot of things, George. You have to be more specific than that," was my only response. I had no idea where this conversation was heading, or if it was even relevant, but I let him continue regardless.

"Do you remember when I said that there was this girl that I liked?" His voice was calm, distant almost.

I couldn't say anything, my mouth was dry and my head was pounded. I simply nodded.

_No. No, no, no. _

He knew. He knew and he was going to tell me his wasn't interested because he already had someone. I assumed he meant Laney Thompson. She's a seventh year Ravenclaw, with fire red hair straight out of Muggle shampoo ads. Unlike me, she was petite and had perfect curls. I was too tall, and too skinny. My blonde hair hung in my face; lifeless if I charmed it, which I usually never had enough time to. Laney Thompson, the girl he had a thing with last year. The perfect one. Yes, I remember.

"Well, I might have never gotten over her like I thought I had," He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

It was Laney. Of course, it was. And here I was thinking there might be good news after all. "George, if you're just here to reject me, then you can save it. I don't want to hear it," I mumbled, standing up and making my way back to the door. I honestly didn't think I could take anymore stress right now. If I didn't have George, I wasn't sure if I could make it through all of this rigorous training Dumbledore promised would ensue.

"Reject you?" He furrowed his brow, obviously confused.

"Well, you just brought me here to tell me you're going back out with Laney, right? You brought me here to ask me to stop wasting my time on you, because you'll never feel the same as me, right?" My voice was drenched in sarcasm. I wouldn't have been so mad if it was anyone but Laney. I hated Laney because she was stupid enough to cheat on George. Who could possibly be better than him? He was as perfect as a human could be.

"For someone who can see the future, you are so blind, Andrella," George sighed, running a hand through his hair with exasperation.

"Now you're insulting me?" I accused, my eyes dancing with fire. I couldn't believe him. He had the audacity to reject me and insult me all within a five-minute span? I loved him so much it hurts, but sometimes he makes me so angry I can't stand it.

"No, I'm not, Drella. God, why can't you see it? Why can't you make this easy for me?" He complained, still running his hands through his hair. It didn't even look like he was talking to me anymore, but more to himself. "Of course, I'm not going back out with Laney. Why would I ever put myself through that again when she is clearly not worth it?"

"Then who are you talking about?" I mumbled, staring at him with intensity. A new hope rising from the tone of his voice.

"You, of course! You, you, you! It's always been you, Drella! How could it be anyone else? I spend all my time with you. I tell you everything about my life. I don't like being away from you. I'm so much happier when you're around. Fred torments me relentlessly whenever there's the rare moment when you and I aren't together," All of his words were jumbled and rushed, and my head was absolutely spinning from what he was saying, "And then when you called out for help in my dream, I woke up with the worse feeling of dread I ever had in my life. The walk to Dumbledore's office felt like miles. And then when I saw that man over you, I lost it. I was so angry; I had every intention on killing him. But when he disappeared, I saw you. So broken and covered in blood. That's when I realized that I was actually in love with you. I thought it was just a crush until then, but it wasn't. When I was carrying you back to the castle on my broomstick, I must have been going a hundred miles an hour but I couldn't go fast enough. I refused to leave your side for the first three days, but then Fred convinced me to go sleep for a few hours. And then when you knocked me down on top of you, I wanted to kiss you so badly. And I would have, but then Renae walked in…"

If I wasn't so shocked, I might have screamed. Everything I had been begging to happen, every single one of my biggest dreams, had just been granted with his words. I was stunned silent, blinking rapidly, staring at his face with a stupid expression.

"Andrella?" He asked nervously as I remained silent.

I wanted to say so many things, I wanted to shout out that I loved him, too, but I couldn't remember how to form words. Naturally, I did the only thing I could still manage to do. I flung my arms around his neck and kissed him with all the passion, all the emotions I had been repressing for years. He must have been shocked by my exuberance because at first, he didn't react at all and then the next thing he was pulling me tight to his chest and kissing back with just as much enthusiasm.

It wasn't cute or straight out of a fairy tale; it was messy and full of passion. Hands roaming everywhere, mouths never breaking contact, until we eventually had to stop for air. "I love you, too" I breathed out, staring into his eyes with intensity, never wanting to look away.

George beamed, his smile stretching from ear to ear, as he embraced me tightly and kissed my forehead. "Imagine how much sooner this might have happened if we were just honest with each other," He chuckled.

"Shhh," I put my index finger of his lips. "I'm just happy that it finally did happen. You have no idea how much I wanted this,"

"I think I might," He grinned, kissing my lips lightly.

I don't know how much time we spent kissing and holding each other, proclaiming our love for each other, but it felt like an eternity of heaven. I never wanted it to end. All the times I had imagined myself kissing George could never compare to what it actually felt like. I couldn't remember a time when I had been happier than I was at that moment.

Pulling away, I looked up to George nervously. I honestly had no idea why I was as nervous as I was, considering George has been one of my best friends for the last six years. "So…what now?"

"The way I see it, we have three options," George flashed me one of his trademark grins. I eyed him skeptically; that look usually came right before he pulled one of his infamous pranks.

"And they are?" I asked, almost afraid as to what these 'options' would be.

"One: We stay here and continue what we were doing. Two: We go back to the common room and have Fred harassing us. Or Three: We go to the kitchens and see what we can convince the house elves to give us. I'm pulling for option number one myself," His tone turned very suggestive toward the end and he winked at me shamelessly.

"Tempting…but I couldn't force myself to eat at dinner, and now I'm rather hungry," I admitted, sheepishly. I didn't exactly want to share why I didn't have much of an apatite at dinner with George. It was a tad embarrassing.

"Option three it is, then!" He said brightly, but then looked at me with a concerned expression, "Why didn't you eat? Is there something wrong?"

"It seems really silly now, but I…well, I thought the reason you wanted to talk to me _was_ to reject me," I mumbled hastily, feeling my cheeks flush slightly.

"All that worrying for nothing. No, if I had found out that you liked me earlier, we would have had this talk a long time ago. And it would have turned out exactly the same way it did today, I imagine," He beamed at me reassuringly, taking my handing. I returned his grin as lead me out into the hallway, still not believing this was all really happening. The door to the room of requirement faded away in our wake.

"Andrella, I'm asking you this as your friend. Are you on drugs? Did George give you something, or…?" Renae trailed off. Her concern didn't mask her amusement.

"What?" I asked, blinking at her. My mind had wandered to a place far away from the sixth year Gryffindor girl's dorm, and even farther away from the conversation Renae was attempting to make.

"Ever since you came in, you've been laying on your bed with that dreamy expression on your face. You cannot possibly be this happy without the assistance of drugs!" Renae replied, looking exhausted.

"No, I haven't taken any drugs, Renae," I reassured my friend with a giggle.

"Then why on earth are you smiling so much? What happened with George? He…did he ask you out?" Her eyes went wide with realization.

"Erm, not exactly. But he did tell me he was in love with me, for as long as I've been in love with him. And, well, then we…" I quickly stopped talking, shoving my face into my pillow so Renae couldn't see how red my cheeks were.

"OH MY GOD, ANDI! That is amazing! I'm so happy for you!" She yelled, hugging me with enthusiasm. I couldn't help my smile from growing. It really was amazing, and I was just hoping that it wasn't some twisted dream.

"OI! Some of us are trying to sleep over here!" Angelina growled, throwing a pillow at my head, which I dodged just in time. Renae wasn't as lucky as it smacked her in the head with full force.

"Sorry," we shot back. However, the matching grins on our faces showed that we felt no remorse whatsoever.

"You and I are going to talk tomorrow. I want every little detail of the night," Renae warned me before sauntering off to her bed, neither of us wanting to be hit with a pillow again.

With a content sigh, I settled down in my bed, never more anxious for the next day to come.

**Author's Note:**

**I know this isn't my best or most lengthy work, but I think it was nice in it's simplicity. Oh, and comments really do make me feel loved and give me motivation. I'm open for constructive critisim as well. I know I have a lot of room for improvements. I'd also love to hear from you guys and see where to think this story is going.**

**And a warning. The action hasn't even begun yet. Things are about to get _very_ interesting.**


	12. The One With The First Meeting

The next morning I awoke to an empty dorm. I looked at the clock in the daze, not completely willing to leave the dream world I was in. Usually I hated when I had dreams about George, it just made it hurt worse that I didn't have him. But last night's was different, it felt so real. It had given me a taste of what I wanted most in the world. I sat up in a panic when I saw the clock read 8:51, leaving me only nine minutes to get to Double Potions with Snape.

"Fucking Hell!" I swore, tearing out of bed and grabbing the first set of robes I could find, pulling them on haphazardly. I slid on my converse and slung the bag that contained all of my books over my shoulder, not bothering with my hair or any make up. I couldn't afford to miss anymore of his classes, being out for so long.

As I began my jog down to the dungeon, I was cursing my silly dreams for getting in the way of my study. It was very important to stay on top of my classes, now that I was expected to take on even further training. My private lessons with Dumbledore starting tonight, and it wouldn't do any good if my head was tangled up in false notions that George liked me back. Last night's dream had to be forgotten and locked away, never to be thought of again. Futile dreams of impossible occurrences weren't of any priority right now.

Thanks to all my training from the Quidditch team in previous years and my daily runs around the grounds, I made it to the dungeons with two minutes to spare. I noticed that neither of the twins were there, but didn't think too much of it. They were late just as often as they were on time. I was very thankful for the fact. I didn't know if I could have handled being normal around George after that dream, it would have been too hard and he would have noticed if anything was off about me; he always did.

I took my seat with next to Elliot Napier, a quiet Ravenclaw boy who was always very helpful and diligent whenever we were partners in class. For the most part, we worked in silence. We offered each other a friendly smile or wave at the start of class, and a "Good job, today!" or "Hopefully it goes better next time," at the end of class depending on how that day's potion turned out. I'll admittedly say that it's hardly ever the latter. The only time we ever really spoke during class was to discuss the directions and see if they needed any mending and to share useful tips while working. Needless to say, it was a surprise when Elliot turned to me and began talking once he saw I was settled.

"Hello, Andrella. Haven't seen you in class for a while. When did you get out of the hospital wing?" Elliot asked with a pleasant smile. Although quiet and shy, Elliot was a very good looking boy. I had no doubt that if he wasn't so shy, he'd have been snatched up ages ago.

"Hey, Elliot," I grinned in return. Even though I kept to the minimal talking rule regularly, I was glad to talk to him. He seemed like a genuinely nice boy and I wouldn't mind becoming at least acquaintances with him if not friends. "Pom-Pom let me out yesterday,"

"Pom-Pom?" He asked with confusion clear on his face.

"It's a nickname the twins and I came up with for Mrs. Pomfrey during our frequent visits to the hospital wing," I explained to him. We really were in there far more than we should be.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear, or devils in this case," Elliot added, his eyes drifting over my shoulder to the door.

I turned around to see none other than two identical boys with fire hair, out-of-breath and grinning just as the clock struck nine. Snape gave them a cold look before shutting the door behind them.

"They have a habit of doing that," I laughed, placing my Advanced Potion Making textbook in front of me. For the first time in my life, I was glad that Snape was talking and ordering us around in a condescending way. It made talking to the twins impossible.

I could literally feel George's eyes burning into the back of my head. Since they walked in, I had been ignoring them. I kept my eyes straight ahead. It should have been easy because they sat behind me, but I could feel George's constant staring. I had been ignoring it for the most part, concentrating on Snape's lecture about history of The Draught of Living Death, which is what we would be making today. However, when a charmed piece of parchment hit me square in the back of the head, I couldn't ignore them any longer. That would definitely make them think something was wrong if they didn't already.

I took a deep breath and opened the note, careful not to let Snape see. I fought the urge to laugh at the absurdity written on the paper.

**[B]Why weren't you at breakfast? Why won't you look at our beautiful faces?[/B]**

_[I]How did I mess this up already?[/I]_

**[B]YOU DON'T LOVE US ANYMORE![/B]**

I shook my head at their writings. The first and the last were in Fred's handwriting, and the middle was George. I found myself chuckling at Fred's typical antics in spite of myself. That boy really could always get me to laugh, no matter what mood I was in. I was utterly confused about what George wrote on the other hand. What was he even talking about? What was there to mess up?

**[I][B]**_**Don't be silly, Freddykins. I love you just as much as always. **_**[/B][/I]**

**[I][B]**_**George, what are you even talking about?**_**[/B][/I]**

I sent the note back to the twins, adding ingredients into the simmering potion when necessary. I had this nagging feeling in the back of my mind, telling me that I was missing something crucial. But no matter how hard I tried to find it, it wouldn't come clear for me. It was ironic how I was supposed to be one of the all-knowing, and I didn't even know what was going on in my own mind.

_[I]Is this a joke, Andrella? Are you joking right now?[/I]_

The note was back in my lap within a minute. George's messy handwriting was on the paper along with a line and an ink blotch at the bottom. I looked back at the twins, Fred was frowning and hitting George with ink on his face. George, on the other hand, was not paying any attention to his brother as Fred continued to hit him. He was staring straight at me, obviously desperate for my answer.

And that's when it clicked.

The dream…

Or well, maybe not a dream. Maybe, it was real. Maybe, for once, something amazing happened to me in real life and not just a silly little fantasy of mine.

Maybe…George actually loved me back.

I glanced around the room for Snape, smiling when I saw he was preoccupied with a group of insipid Slytherin girls on the other side of the room. I turned to Elliot, who was already looking at me with a weird expression on his face. I ignored it, every molecule in my body felt sped up, like they were each moving a thousand miles a second.

"Will be alright on your own for a few minutes?" I asked, my voice coming out as an embarrassing high-pitched squeak. I was shaking, building up with anticipation. In only a few more seconds, I would find out if it was all real, with other people here to witness it, undeniable proof that this isn't just a dream.

It was so quick that I almost didn't catch the way his eyes flashed to the twins before he answered me. "Yeah, go." He smiled lightly and shook his head, taking the spoon I had been using and mixed the potion.

I nodded my head, wordlessly thanking him. I didn't know if I was capable of forming words at the moment. George was already out of his seat and making his way toward me. He met me at the back cabinets, far enough away from all the other students so they couldn't over hear us.

"So…that wasn't a dream?" I asked him awkwardly, looking up at him nervously. It was all in his hands now, whether he knew it or not.

"This is so like you, Drella," George scoffed, his eyes full of annoyance, amusement, and something else I couldn't identify. "It wasn't a dream. You're stuck with me," George's grin stretched from ear to ear. He opened his arms wide, making the general motion indicating that he wanted a hug.

I wrapped my arms around his neck tightly, closing the distance between us instantly. I didn't care if we were in the middle of a full classroom, where anyone could see us. I didn't care about anything but the fact that it wasn't a dream, it was real. It all happened. Our confessions in the room of requirement, going down to the kitchens and getting hot chocolate, all the stolen kisses, and the best feeling I've ever felt. For once, it wasn't just a dream.

"I love you," George whispered in my ear, kissing my check lightly.

I pulled back from him, clasping my hands together behind his neck. I stared into his face, his warm brown eyes. It didn't matter how long I've know him for, no matter how well I knew his face, I would never tire of looking at him. "I love you, too," I breathed against his lips, still not capable of speaking more than a few words at a time.

"Aw, look at you two! You're so cute!" Fred exclaimed, effectively breaking the intimate moment between his twin and I. We pulled away from each other hesitantly, not wanting to let go but not wanting worse ridicule from Fred than necessary.

"Shut up, Fred. You're just mad because this obviously means I'm the better looking twin," George smirked, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, pulling me to his side. I smiled up at him with an over all feeling of perfect contentment filling my body.

"No, it means AndI needs to get her eyesight checked," Fred had his ever witty reply ready in a second.

"Snape is going to turn around soon, so I guess we should be getting back to our seats…" I said quietly, looking over at the man who was still working diligently in reversing the damage the girls did. I wasn't quite sure how I knew he was going to turn around, but I felt a little pinprick at my temple and then I just knew. I figured it had to do with meaning part of the Ismerete, it was the only logical solution to anything strange that happened to me these days.

They glanced over at the professor's back and then back down at me, trusting my judgment they simply nodded. "Meet me after class?" George asked, still holding on to my hand.

"Of course," I answered automatically, not wanting to do anything that didn't involve the two of us being together. Beaming once again, George pecked my check lightly before rejoining his twin at their respective table.

Rejoined Elliot at our table, a stupid grin undoubtedly on my face. I couldn't contain it. I was ecstatic that this wasn't just a dream. It's all I've really wanted for the past two years, and it was finally mine. Not even Snape's slight mockery on our perfect potion could bring me down.

Snape hated me on principal, seeing as I was a Gryffindor with a reputation for getting in trouble and pranking students from his house in particular. However, I suspected he had a soft spot for me somewhere deep down in the cockles of his heart. He let me get away with more than he normally let anyone but Slytherins get away with. After Snape checked our potion, I couldn't contain my day-dreaming any longer. It was only Elliot's quiet interjection that drew me from my reverie.

"So you're dating Weasley, then?" he said quietly, his voice making the supposed question sound more like a simple statement.

"I suppose I am," I replied back thoughtfully, an unrestrained grin pulling at the corners of my mouth once more. I turned to Elliot slowly, looking into his eyes for a brief second. Something about his tone was off, not the mention the fact that this was the most he's ever talked to me in one day before. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no particular reason. Just observing. You learn to do that a lot in Ravenclaw," he smiled vaguely. I didn't miss the way it barely reached his eyes.

That's odd, I noted, cocking my head to the side as if it would give me a look inside the cryptic and usually quiet boy beside me. "I see we have that in common," I added carefully, watching for his reaction.

"Apparently," He shrugged, nonchalantly packing his parchment and quills into his bag.

Before I had time to analyze his next move and possibly figure out the motive behind his peculiar behavior, the bell overhead rang, signaling the end of class. His behavior was curious at the least, but not enough to keep me from meeting George on time.

"I'll see you next class, yeah?"

"Next class it is," He agreed, giving me a friendly nod as he gathered his stuff and went to meet up with the two other Ravenclaws in the class.

"How odd, indeed," I mumbled to myself, watching my potions partner take his leave as I packed up my own possessions.

A warm hand snaked itself around my waist, followed by the smell of freshly cut grass and an apple orchard-George. I grinned to myself and quickly turned around in his arms until I was facing him. He continued to walk further, pinning me between the table and himself.

"Hi," I smiled shyly, still getting butterflies when we were this close together.

He kissed my lips softly, lingering for a few seconds before whispering his hello against them. I couldn't help the smile from forming on my lips, knowing I could never get old of the way it felt when he kissed me. He pulled away from my slowly, picking up my school bag and began leading me out of the dungeons.

"So what are we doing until charms?" I asked curiously, liking the way his hand gripped mine as we walked through the familiar hallways.

"Detention, unfortunately," George sighed, "I wanted to see you before I have to spend the next hour and a half with McGonagall,"

"McGonagall?" I gave George a questioning look, not aware of any recent prank that would have landed him a detention with our stern head of house.

"Just a little prank on some Slytherins," George answered dismissively, looking over my shoulder into the Great Hall. "Nothing to worry about. Are you busy tonight?" George changed the subject, almost too smoothly for me to catch. I decided to let it go, if George didn't want to tell me something I was sure he had his reasons.

"I have that meeting with Dumbledore tonight after dinner, but nothing after that. Why?" I questioned, uneasy of the growing smile on his face.

"Oh, nothing," George smirked, changing the subject once again. "I'll meet you in the common room when you get out, but I really have to go now. Bye, Drella," George talked quickly, punctuating his sentence with a gentle peck on my check before disappearing down the corridor.

I blinked rapidly, staring down the hall feeling left out of the loop. George seemed awfully rushed today and I couldn't think of a reason why he'd be concerned with making it on time to detention. I shook my head fiercely, trying to get a grip on the otherwise slow morning. I hated waking up late, it always left me so disoriented.

Absent-mindedly I found myself at my regular seat next to Ron and Harry, reserved for when the twins were away for whatever reason. Hermione was in the library as she often was and Renae was sitting at the far end of the Slytherin table with Draco. As much as it irked me, Draco and Renae were still very much together. Draco made Renae happy and that was all that really mattered to me, as long as it stayed that way. I was itching for a reason to hex him into the next millennium if he hurt her in any way.

"Ron," I addressed the two boys at the table as I sat down next to them. "Harry,"

"'ello, AndI," Ron grumbled in between shoving mouthfuls of stew into his mouth in a very unattractive manner.

"Alright, AndI?" Harry asked unenthusiastically. I figured it had to do with the egg he acquired from the first task. It was his only clue to the second task and how to prepare for it. After all night of trying it still hadn't produced anything other than that raucous wailing.

"No luck then, Harry?" When he shook his head, I offered a sympathetic look before assembling my own lunch.

"So where are my brother's then? Detention?" Ron asked with knowing look.

"Psh. As if the only reason I'd come hang out with you guys is because they're busy?" I scoffed, taking an orange from the bowl in front of me.

For the first time since I had been sitting here, Ron stopped eating to give Harry a significant look. "Okay, fine. They're in detention," I admitted, rolling my eyes and resenting that they were right.

"Knew it," Ron grinned triumphantly, "Do you have any idea why George was so happy this morning and even more anxious than usual when you didn't show up?"

"Oh, uh…well, we're kindasortagoingoutnow," I mumbled my words together, my cheeks flushing from the sudden attention both the boys were giving me.

"Well, it's about time, AndI! I always knew you'd marry into the family," Ron snickered, tinting my skin even darker with blush.

"Marry? Honestly, Ron. We've only been going out for less than a day!" I protested, pushing away images of weepy parents and frilly lace. Even though I loved George, it was way too early to be thinking about marriage.

"Just watch, AndI. You'll be an official Weasley soon enough," Ron assured me, picking up another piece of bread and buttering it generously. . I simply shook my head at him and smiled at Harry before deciding the twins having a detention was a blessing in disguise. It was imperative I kept on top of my studies, now that I was expected to take on much more advanced things as well. Today would be a day best spent in the library, catching up on all the lessons I missed.

"I'm heading to the library. See you guys later," I waved goodbye to the boys before heading up to the third floor, wondering what prank the boys could have played that I wasn't aware of. My thoughts clouded my head and before I knew it I was on the floor, books and parchment spilt around me.

"Oh, Andrella! I am so sorry! Let me help you with that," The person that knocked me down apologized, automatically dropping down to help me gather my things. My anger for being knocked down floundered when I saw Elliot kneeling beside me and piling my books back into my bag.

"It's alright, Elliot, really. No harm done," I reassured him when he kept up the steady flow of apologies. "I wasn't looking where I was going,"

"If you're sure…" Elliot trailed off, looking in danger of apologizing once again.

"Really, Elliot. I'm fine. I'm just glad it wasn't some stupid Slytherin trying to get even again," I smiled, pulling my bag over my shoulder. When I continued my walk to the library, Elliot walked by my side.

"Why would the Syltherins want to get back at you?" Elliot asked with a confusion expression.

"The boys pulled a prank today, I wouldn't be surprised if one of them tried to get back at us," I shrugged, not caring either way. I wasn't worried about ignorant buffoons who hardly stood a chance against me anyway. I wasn't try to boast, but Defense Against the Dark Arts was my best subject and I knew I could hold my own. Though, I had to admit some of the seventh years were nasty pieces of work. I tried my hardest to avoid them the best I could. Although I could take care of myself when it came to dueling, Slytherins weren't known to play by the rules.

"Where are they by the way? It's odd seeing you without them," Elliot's tone was joking and I could hardly suppress a smile. Elliot wasn't shy, but he certainly didn't open up to anyone but friends. I had tried making friends with him when we were paired together in our younger years, but he had always been to distant to make any real connection. It was nice to see him finally opening up around me.

"Detention for said prank. I've decided I should use my free time at the library while I still could," I answered truthfully, there was no point in hiding the fact neither Fred or George were fans of the library or studying.

"Potions essay?" Elliot asked, holding open the door to the library as I walked through.

"Yeah, actually. How did you know?" I questioned, furrowing my eyebrow.

"It fell out of your bag," He explained, placing his stuff next to mine on the table in the back before pulling out his own essay. "I need another two feet on mine," Elliot sighed, sitting down across from me.

I reached fro my own essay and noted I still needed a few feet and revision before I could hand it in. "Let me see?" I held my hand out for his paper and he took mine. Skimming through it I saw where the issue was.

"You need sixteen scruples of fluxweed plucked at full moon, not fifteen," I corrected him. "Everything else looks right," I handed him back his paper.

"Thanks, Andrella!" Elliot exclaimed before returning to his paper with a look of determination. That's how the rest of the afternoon was spent. Pouring over books, writing profusely, and offering advice whenever we could. We worked well together, there weren't periods of uncomfortable silence and I had wrote the best potions of my life with his extra help.

We exchanged goodbyes when the period was over before he had to rush to Arthimacy and I to Charms. I was genuinely disappointed when the clock struck 1:30, hating to discontinue my productivity of my afternoon. It was nice to have a friend I could just study with. Going to the library with the twins was a hassle, Ron and Harry weren't much help either. Renae was always with Draco and Hermione always found ways to lecture me about the rules I often disregarded. I had reasons to believe a friendship with Elliot would only do me good.

"Miss Wendling, I trust you understand why you are here?" Dumbledore began once I had taken the seat across from him in his study. I simply nodded my head. "You understand how these lessons I and the other professors will be teaching you are of the utmost importance and may very well save your life one day?" Dumbledore continued, his light tone counteracting his grave words and their serious implications.

"Yes, Professor. I understand," I spoke quietly, giving possibly the most brilliant wizard of all time my undivided attention.

"Very well then," Dumbledore nodded his head, an almost undetectable twinkle was hidden behind his half-moon spectacles. "Shall we get started?"

Once again, I simply nodded my head. I wasn't feeling particularly talkative, but ultra receptive, instead. I was ready to put all my efforts into improving and learning whatever it was my professors wanted me to learn. Dumbledore had explained to me the dangers, perhaps only briefly, after the accident. He made it very clear that I wasn't to tell anyone else about my true identity, anyone who did know was put under a spell that would forbid them to talk about me or the true nature of my heritage. In the wrong hands, this information could very well be the death of me.

My parents, McGonagall, and Mrs. Pomfrey were the only adults made fully aware of the situation. The twins, of course, knew as they were there through the entire thing and everyone knew that I would never keep something like this from them. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were given the abridged version as I often stay for extended lengths of time at the Burrow during the summer and they would need to know the extra safety precautions I would now need for traveling. The rest of the professors were given very little information, as Dumbledore explained, they only needed to know that I would acquire extra training in various areas but were never given a direct reason why.

"Your marks suggest that Transfiguration and Defense Against The Dark Arts are your best subjects. Do you agree?" Dumbledore asked, holding a sheet with what looked to be the results of my OWLS.

"Yes," I nodded, glad that I managed to get an O in both subjects. I did considerably well last year on the examinations, taking the fact that I rarely did homework on time and was often late to class. I was rather intelligent, but I simply did not have the patience for classes such as History of Magic or Herbology, both of which I didn't do half as well in as I hoped in, but no worse than I reasonably expected. Still, I managed to pull through with at least an Acceptable in all my classes, with O's in the three most challenging.

"Your Charms mark could be higher as well as Ancient Runes, but that's not what we're really here to discuss," Dumbledore said abruptly, putting the parchment with my marks down and looking at me with a calculating look, as if he was trying to penetrate my thoughts. I had suspicions he was doing exactly that.

"There are many things that I shall like you complete before your seventh year here, each one more difficult than the next. All of what you will be learning will be more advanced than anything you have ever seen in the classroom before. However, I have full confidence that if you put your best effort you should be able to master each task as it is handed to you. Your first lesson will be taught by Professor Moody in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom after dinner tomorrow. He will be teaching you how to produce a patronus charm. Although very difficult and strenuous, it is an extensively useful spell. Next week, at the same time I would like you to report back to me on your progress," Dumbledore explained to me, his tone light enough to be discussing the weather.

I nodded my head in understanding, happy that I was familiar enough with the spell. We were not supposed to learn it until the very end of the year, but I had skimmed over it in my curiosity. Although quite difficult, it was far from impossible. Mad-Eye was a remarkable Auror and very diligent professor. I was sure that after a few sessions of his instruction I could get it, if I gave it my best shot.

"Miss Wendling, as you know, I have already advised to keep all of this rather quiet," Dumbledore began, pausing for a second before finding the appropriate word choice for his next sentence, "However, if you should find your progress struggling for whatever reason, I find the best advice is always found through the seeker,"

"Right…,"I nodded, trying my hardest to not look outwardly confused at his last statement. "I'll see you next Monday, professor. Same time, same place," I smiled at the headmaster before quickly making my way back to Gryffindor tower. I had no time to figure out one of his riddles or anything of the like. I would worry about patronesses and extra work tomorrow, right now I had to meet up with my boyfriend.

A permanent smile resided on my face, all the way up to Gryffindor Towel. My worries were gone as my thoughts once again returned to George. I knew that as long as I had him, no matter how stressful my life became or how dangerous or confusing, I would always be okay.

Once I had made it into the Gryffindor common room undetected, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to sneak up on George. I placed a nonverbal silencing charm over myself before sneaking up behind him and placing my hands over his eyes. Removing the charm, I whispered in his ear with the lightest voice still audible, "Guess who?"

I should have known better than to think I would sneak up on him and get away with him. Without saying anything, he reached behind him in one swift motion and pulled me over the back of the couch so I was sitting on his lap. I glared at Lee and Fred who were laughing at my expense before returning my attention back to George.

After a lingering kiss that truthfully only ended because of Fred's obnoxious cat calls, George turned to me with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Ready to get out of here?"

"I was born ready," I repeated in a monotone voice, dead serious. "Carry me?" I pouted, not wanting to walk anymore. I had been rushing around all day, going back and forth between the dungeons Gryffindor tower. George rolled his eyes at me before turning around so I could hop on his back.

"See you later, losers! Don't wait up!" I demanded, the last part directed toward Fred. His teasing George and I was all in good nature but it was very annoying, to say the least. And to think, we have only been going out a day!

I had no idea where we were going, but I decided that it probably didn't matter. We could just sit for hours, doing absolutely nothing. As long as George was there, it would be the most entertaining thing going on at the time. It could just be the honeymoon stage all new couples get, but I had reason to believe that I would always be this happy when George and I were together. How could I not be? George was everything I could hope for and more. He wasn't only my boyfriend but he was my best friend, too. We understood each other on such a high level that I honestly have no idea how we didn't end up together earlier.

Once again, I found it didn't matter. I was safe and warm in George's arm as we drank hot chocolate from the kitchens on top of the Astronomy tower, watching the snow cover the school grounds in a thick blanket of white. I couldn't think of anywhere I'd rather be or anything I'd rather be doing. In the mad descent my life had made into the chaotic sphere of things, I had fond a serene moment forever untouched by it. Something that would always be mine.

**A/N : I know, I know. I was very, very late with this one. I had terrible writer's block. I'd get up to page five and then I'd just go blank. I re-wrote this chapter at least a dozen or two times. I'm trying to make my chapters lengthier, so I hope you guys don't mind the change.**

Anyway, I'd love to hear what you have to say about it! What you liked, what you didn't, and how I can improve. Also, I'm pretty terrible at writing cutesy relationship stuff, so any help or advice there would be greatly appreciated. And as always, sorry for any mistakes or typos I missed.

_Ex's and Oh's  
Audrey V. Sullivan _


	13. The One With The Hickey

"Oi! Renae!" I called, catching sight of my best friend just as she was leaving the common room. It was early Saturday morning, and the first day of December.

It was more than chilly as per English custom, leaving George and I to cuddle under a blanket near the fireplace to keep warm. Both of us more than willing to take advantage of the opportunity. Dating officially for exactly a week, we were still in the honeymoon stage of couple hood-unable to detach ourselves from each other and unbearably lovey-dovey to onlookers.

"Oh, hey Andi. George," Renae smiled, approaches us after looking at the clock apprehensively. George waved at her lazily, still dozing off and using my shoulder as a pillow as I went over the extra Transfiguration and DADA work I was assigned.

"Hey, what are you doing later? I feel like I haven't seen you in forever," I asked her, noticing that she was dressed rather nicely for eight o'clock on a Saturday morning. Renae kept glancing at the clock and it suddenly made sense. Renae was off to see Draco, who unfortunately, was still her boyfriend.

"I can see that," Renae giggled as George feel asleep with his face in the crook on my neck and kept pulling me closer, using me as his personal teddy bear.

"So what do you say to a girl's night in, yeah? Catch up a bit? I have _so_ much to tell you," I tried my best to persuade her. As much as I loved spending all my time with George, holed up somewhere private, I missed Renae. I was a girl after all, and I needed to gush over my boyfriend with my best friend.

"That actually works for me," Renae grinned, starting to retreat. "I'll meet you at the entrance of the Great Hall after dinner. We'll talk," She glanced in George's direction before disappearing through the portrait.

I smiled to myself, content with my freshly made plans for the day. I worked on a few of the numerous papers for another hour or so before George became too distracting and I finally gave in to him. "Oh, fine. I guess I've worked enough for one morning. Let's go get breakfast," I laughed, watching him perk up instantly at the proposal for food.

"Finally!" He exclaimed, kissing my cheek excitedly as he picked us both off the couch.

I rolled my eyes at him, but allowed him to lead me to the Great Hall nonetheless. It was still relatively early for a Saturday. No one of interest was there when we arrived and we opted for a spot at the end of the table, a good distance away from anyone else. George held my hand under the table as he shoveled food into his mouth and I sipped my tea, ignoring his unbecoming eating habits.

"So what are we doing today, before you hang out with Renae?" George asked, patting his stomach contently once his plate was cleared.

"Well, we could go to the library and study for that Herbology test…" I dead panned, keeping my expression totally blank.

"You woke me up at seven to study," George pouted, not amused by the suggestion in the slightest.

"I was kidding. Honeyduke's?" I offered hopefully, the promise of chocolate very appealing.

"Let's go," George grinned, happy any plans of studying were out the window for the time being.

I watched George warily as he stood before me and bowed, offering me his hand. "M'lady?" He adopted an old English accent, but remained straight-faced. Unable to do anything but laugh, I took his hand. George refused to give up on the accent the entire walk to Honeyduke's, by the time we reached the end of the tunnel I thought my sides were going to burst and my face crack in half.

"G-George, st-stop!" I wheezed, holding my stomach as my body shook with silent laughter. His jokes and overall adorableness becoming too much to handle. "I can't breathe!"

George stood perfectly still-the first sign that something was off-and in an instant his calculating stare turned into an all-to-familiar smirk.

"No," I began backing away, knowing exactly what that particular smirk meant. "George, Don't-"

Before I could finish my warning, George went into full attack mode. He knew where all my vulnerable spots were and took full advantage of the fact, tickling me without mercy. I tried pushing him away, but my bones felt like jell-o from laughing so hard. "S-St-stop!" I begged weakly.

George pushed my back against the wall of the tunnel, still poking my sides. His leaned in closely, his warm breath tickling my skin in a very different way as he purred seductively in my ear. "Now, why would I do that…"

He trailed his fingers at an agonizingly slow pace up my sides as he ghosted kisses across my exposed collar bone. I slid my hands through the tips of his hair, pulling him up to meet my eyes. Emerald meeting topaz, reflecting the same emotion neither of us could express through words.

He crashed his lips against mine, pushing me flush against the wall, pinning me there with his body. I responded eagerly, trying to close the gap even more. My senses went haywire, every kiss George placed on my neck was searing, his touch electrifying. My mind was settling into a content haze as time or any sense of responsibility faded away and the only thing that matter was kissing George. I could feel the raw power of his emotions through his actions, way to strong to be feigned. I knew it was real, but more importantly it was _right. _

Right, and undoubtedly enough to make me forget everything. To stay in this little passageway forever, doing nothing but simply being together seemed like the equivalent of Heaven on Earth, at the moment. George's hands pushed up my skirt, resting on the lacy fabric of my garter belt. It drove me even further down the path of desperation, wrapping my legs around his hips in attempt to bring us even closer together, without a hint of shame.

There were no second thoughts or first thoughts at all, really. There was nothing but how I wanted him so badly in that moment, and I knew it would be right. It would never matter when and where, so long as it was with him.

I brought his lips to mine hungrily, eager to convey my new found revelation to him in the only way I knew how. He kissed me just as fiercely, gripping fistfuls of my hair. I felt his erection pushing against my thigh through his pants. Only three layers of fabric kept away what I suddenly knew I wanted.

My hands tugged at his shirt restlessly, determined to remove any and all barriers between us. The fabric tore and buttons scattered to the floor as I ran my finger tips over his well-defined torso, stopping only when I came to the button of his pants-

"OI! What the bloody hell is going on down here?" The annoyingly familiar voice shouted in outrage, scaring George and I half to death.

George groaned defeatedly, burrowing his head in the crook of my neck as I quickly lowered my legs. "What do you _want_, Fred?," He sighed impatiently, breathing heavily against my skin. I ran my hands through his hair to soothe him as he tried to cool himself down.

"What do _I _want? Merlin! You both are acting like a bunch of hormonal teenagers," Fred chastised.

"We _ARE_ hormonal teenagers," George seethed indignantly, still not lifting his head.

Fred chose to ignore his twin's outburst and continue with his lecture. "Honestly, have you two forgotten we're to meet Bill and Charlie at the Three Broomsticks for Lunch? You've both been so busy snogging each other that you-"

But I was no longer paying attention to Fred. I looked up at George alarmed and highly confused. "We're supposed to meet them today? Isn't that next week?" but his expression was just as puzzled as mine.

"I could have sworn it was," he furrowed his eyebrows, finally standing up and looking at his twin for answers.

"Yes, that's today, idiots! They're probably waiting for us as we speak!" He scoffed, but froze very suddenly as he focused his gaze on me. "HA! Good luck trying to hide that one, AndI! First time Bill and Charlie see you in months and you have that on your neck! Serves you right for forgetting about it in the first place," Fred laughed spitefully, indicating the very obvious hickey on my neck. It was just far enough in the center that it would be impossible to cover with my hair.

"And you!" Fred turned to his brother, shaking his head. "Your shirt's ruined! All the buttons missing and covered in lipstick,"

George simply rolled his eyes, pulling out his wand and muttering the spell that would mend his clothing. I pulled down my skirt much lower than I would normally wear it, and did my best to straighten out my blouse.

"Both of your hair's a fright, but there's not time for that now. We're late. If you can't refrain from behaving inappropriately, you'll pay the consequences. Now, let's go!" Fred asserted, grabbing us both by the arms and dragging us up the staircase.

"_Freeeed_, you're hurting me!" I whined, stumbling up the stairs without a choice.

"Cry about it," He retorted, not loosening his grip until we made it into the store. I rubbed the red mark on my arm and glared at Fred, thinking of what curse I could use to get back on him.

I was thinking on charming his robes into a frilly pink dress with a matching bonnet, cursing him to speak in nothing but nursery rhymes for an hour. As I began to draw my wand, George placed his hand over mine. I looked up at him expectantly, only to be met with his amused smirk.

"As much as I'd love you watch you do whatever it is you plan on doing to my twin, we're already late meeting Bill and Charlie," George reminded me. He knew the mention of his elder brothers would make me forget any intention of cursing Fred, and it certainly did. I smiled excitedly, eager to see the oldest of Weasley children. Bill and Charlie were simply excellent, and I was eager to spend as much time with them as possible. Charlie stays in Romania to tame the dragons and Bill travels all over the world breaking curses. When they do come home, it's like one huge family reunion even if I wasn't technically apart of the family.

"C'mon! Let's go!" I giggled. It was my turn to grab both of their arms, and lead them into The Three Broomsticks. Instantly spotting four redheads seated in the back, I abandoned my grip and took off to their table.

Seeing me bounding toward him, Charlie stood up and opened his arms wide. "CHARLIE!" I squealed, giving him bone-crushing hug. "I've missed you!"

"You too!" I added, moving to give Bill a forceful hug. He laughed lightly but stopped once he noticed what I hoped he wouldn't.

"Hey, AndI. What's that on your neck?" Bill asked, eyeing the splotchy mark with a knowing look.

"Blame him," I mumbled, glaring at George who had enough sense to act bashful. Thankfully, George took my hand before my face had the chance to explode from my extreme blushing.

Charlie's eyes went wide before he broke out in raucous laughter. "It's about time you two got together. You've been in love with each other for years!"

"Shut it, Charlie," George replied unenthusiastically, as we took our seats at the table. Ginny and Ron were already there, and like always, Percy was missing. It didn't bother me any, he was a right awful prat most of the time.

"So, when did this happen?" Bill asked, watching George and I with his normal reserved smile.

"More importantly, how come no one told us?" Charlie interjected with a pointed look.

"A week ago," I answered Bill, ignoring Charlie all together.

"We haven't seen them much since, if ya know what I mean…"Fred's sniggering was cut short when I stomped on his foot, glaring at him once again. "Ow!"

"_Anyway_," I started, a smug smile on my face at Fred's whimpering, "Tell me more about this Hungarian Horntail you've been training, Charlie,"

XXX

"AndI, you have to let go now," George said gently, trying to pull me away from his two eldest brothers. But I wouldn't relinquish my hold on Bill and Charlie no matter how much George tried to persuade me.

"No!" I protested childishly, hugging them even tighter.

Charlie simply chuckled, patting my back lightly. "Come on, AndI. We'll see you again soon,"

"No! You guys are always away! I never see you," I protested, pulling out my best puppy dog eyes and pout. I didn't care if I was making a scene in the streets of Hogsmeade.

"We'll you in the summer. I'm sure you'll be staying at the Burrow at some point," Bill reassured me, smirking at George with a knowing look.

"Fine! But you promise you guys will come home again some time soon?" I conceded, knowing my determination would not pan out this time. Dejectedly, I allowed George to pull me back.

"Yeah, kid. See you in a few months!" Charlie laughed, ruffling my hair.

"Good Bye, AndI," Bill said lightly, kissing my cheek before apparating away with Charlie.

"Don't look so sad, AndI. It's not the end of the world," Ron joked, noticing that I was still pouting.

I merely stuck my tongue at him, continuing with my usual childish antic without bothering to reply. I crossed my arms and glanced at George expectantly. He always seemed to know how to make me feel better, even if I didn't know how to myself.

"Right, we're going to Honeyduke's. See you later," He quickly dismissed us from his siblings, before leading me to the candy store. I didn't protest, chocolate would be more than accepted right now.

Within a second upon entering, George already had an unwrapped chocolate bar shoved into my hand. Smiling, I noticed it had almonds in it-my favorite. I kissed his cheek in gratitude before eating the much needed chocolate.

"Better?" George asked once I had taken a few more bites and began to noticeably relax. I simply nodded in response, taking small bites of the candy bar. "Good. How long until you have to meet Renae?" That mischievous glint in his eye was back.

"I'm meeting her after dinner, so…three hours?" I replied warily, never knowing where his mind would wander off to.

"Perfect. Just enough time…" George grinned, picking up a few more bars of chocolates as well as a few other things, surprisingly none of their joke candies.

"Enough time for what?" I questioned, more curious than worried now.

He looked down at me with his infamous smirk, his words spending shivers down my spine, "To finish what we started,"

XXX

A/N : I apologize for how short and late this is! I promise the next one will be much longer and it'll be so worth the wait. This story is rated M for a reason, if ya know what I mean...

ANYWAY. Thank you to everyone who's been reviewing! It really means a lot to me that you guys even bother to read this story, and I really do appreciate all your feedback. Saying that, feel free to tell me what you_ really_ think of this chapter or the story in general. The next chapter should be up within a MUCH shorter time period.

Ex's and Oh's

Audrey V. Sullivan


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